Syrian Government Forces 25 Kilometers from Turkey's Border

For the first time since August 2013, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are within 25 kilometers of the Turkish border in northern Syria.

They continue to press a Russian-backed offensive that is throwing moderate rebel forces into disarray and despondency, say activists and insurgent commanders.

Turkish officials are warning that the round-the-clock Russian air sorties and heavy fighting could spark the arrival of as many as 600,000 fleeing Syrian civilians at its border, but reiterate their determination for the refugees to stay on the Syrian side of the frontier.

“Our objective for now is to keep this wave of migrants on the other side of Turkey's borders as much as is possible, and to provide them with the necessary services there,” said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş.

Following a Cabinet meeting, he said, “As a consequence of this situation, we are seeing 200,000 people being forced to flee, 65,000 in the direction of Turkey and 135,000 inside Syria.”...
  voanews.com
9/2/16
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