Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Out of the frying pan, into the fire
Anwar Mohammed fled his homeland three years ago to escape the routine violence that ravaged his city of Azaz and pushed millions to flee northwestern Syria. He and his wife settled with their three young children just on the other side of the Turkish border, seeking quiet and safety in the town of Kilis, where Mohammed often works as a translator for foreign journalists.

But in recent months, rockets from Syria have broken a calm in the Turkish town. Each day, residents rush indoors, praying for their safety as rockets fired by the ISIS in Syria rain down.

“All the Syrians have escaped from war and they came here, and suddenly they have war again,” Mohammed said. “Daily life here has changed a lot. Most of the people are spending time inside the house.”

Kilis in recent months has found itself in the crosshairs of ISIS, and about 20 people have been killed. Everyday life in the town has come to a standstill as anger against both the government and refugees has begun to boil over.

“At the moment, people in Kilis live in panic and fear,” Selim Bayturkmen, an editor for a local newspaper, Kilis Postası, said in an email interview translated from Turkish. “Everybody here feels that they have been ignored by the government.”

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A man sits outside a damaged house in Kilis, Turkey, on April 25, 2016, a day after rockets hit the border town, leaving one dead. Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images

Kilis, lined with cobblestone streets, sits across the border from an area controlled by ISIS. The province, also called Kilis, is the only area in Turkey where Syrians presently outnumber Turks. There are about 110,000 Syrians, compared to about 90,000 Turks. Many have opened their own shops and restaurants in town, while thousands also live in a nearby refugee camp. The area has lush farmland for growing grapes and olives.

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Turkish anti-riot police use water cannon to disperse people who gathered after a rocket hit a mosque in Kilis, April 24, 2016. Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images

Mohammed, the Syrian translator, said he — as well as many refugees — feels welcomed in Turkey. While he said some may hold negative views toward Syrians, he is thankful that Turks have widely opened their doors.

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