Erdogan says Turkey aims to settle 1 million refugees in Syria offensive area

“Settling one million people between Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain, that is our aim in the safe zone, that is our plan”

 

Turkey aims to settle one million Syrian war refugees in the area of northern Syria where it carried out a military incursion in October, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

He told state broadcaster TRT that Ankara would finance the resettlement on its own if allies did not provide support.

Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies launched the offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as a terrorist group. After seizing a strip of land inside Syria 120 km (75 miles) long and around 30 km (18 miles) wide running from the town of Ras al Ain to Tel Abyad, Turkey signed separate deals with the United States and Russia to halt its assault.

Turkey had previously said it could settle up to 2 million Syrian refugees in a 444-km (275-mile)-long “safe zone” it aimed to form in northeastern Syria, and repeatedly urged NATO allies to provide financial aid for the plans.

Read more: reuters