Baku, Azerbaijan, May 4
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
A mass brawl took place in Turkey's province of Sanliurfa between Syrian refugees and the local population, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported May 4.
Some 12 people were left injured in the incident, the causes of which have not been revealed.
The brawl involved up to 200 people.
Earlier, there was an incident in the Turkish province of Mardin between the Syrian refugees and the military, resulting in four injured soldiers.
The incident occurred after 66 people were poisoned in a refugee camp in Mardin. Following that, unrests broke out in the camp and the Turkish military had to intervene. Some 17 Syrians were detained after the incident.
The ongoing military conflict in Syria has resulted in over 1.6 million Syrians seeking refuge in the neighboring Turkey.
Ankara has so far spent at least $5.5 billion to support the Syrian refugees, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
In the province of Sanliurfa, which has a population of 1.8 million people, the number of Syrian refugees has reached about 500,000.
The Syrian refugee camps in Turkey accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread throughout the provinces and cities of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria.
Many other Syrian refugees reside in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
Syria's total population before the conflict was 20 million people.
Edited by CN
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