By Cem Genco
HATAY, Turkey (AA) - Over 40,000 Syrians left Turkey over the last year for their hometowns liberated from terrorists in northwestern Syria.
Taking refuge in Turkey due to civil war in Syria, a total of 40,574 Syrians from different parts of Turkey used the Cilvegozu border gate in southern Hatay province to go to Syria’s terror-free areas of Idlib region.
Syrians headed to their homeland after legal procedures at the border.
This year, a total of 104,000 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid and commercial materials used the same border gate.
Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria liberated the region of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, making return of Syrian civilians to homeland possible.
Last month, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said nearly 300,000 Syrians returned to their homes after the Turkish military conducted successful operations in the region.
“The number of Syrians who returned to their country after the Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch is 291,790,” Soylu said.