Thousands of Syrian refugees stranded in Turkish minefield
Source: Daily Mail
LONDON, Dec 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A human rights watchdog urged Turkey on Wednesday to remove from its border with Syria landmines which have killed three people and wounded nine among more than 2,000 Syrian refugees camped in a minefield.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the refugees, living in their cars after fleeing the Islamic State onslaught in Syria, were stuck in the minefield because Turkey had refused entry for vehicles and livestock, and they did not want to abandon their belongings.
Turkey reported that its military laid more than 600,000 mines along the Syrian border between 1957 and 1998 to prevent illegal border crossings, HRW said.
"To fall victim to a landmine after losing your home and fleeing your country is a fate no one should have to endure," HRW arms director Steve Goose said in a statement. Since fighting between Kurdish forces and Islamic State's Sunni militants began in September around the Syrian border town of Kobani, thousands of Syrians have fled into Turkey through a narrow strip of mined land along the border, known as the Tel Shair corridor, the watchdog said.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2859287/Thousands-Syrian-refugees-stranded-Turkish-minefield-rights-group--TRFN.html
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