Some 311,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland following military operations launched by Turkey in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
"So far, 311,000 of our Syrian brothers (refugees) have returned to the regions (Syria) secured by Turkey," Erdogan said during a rally in the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras.
He said Syrians have returned to areas in Afrin, Jarablus and Idlib that were cleared of terrorists by Turkish forces and its allies.
The Turkish leader also said that Europe owes its current peace to the "sacrifices of Turkey" and its people, referring to a deal inked in 2016 between his country and the European Union, adding "they (Syrians) want to return to their homeland as soon as possible."
Turkey, which has spent 37 billion U.S. dollars hosting 3.6 million Syrians, insists that it cannot accept anymore refugees from the war-torn country.