Extremely
difficult conditions for desperate people who try to escape from
unimaginable atrocities by the jihadists
“The UN
refugee agency on Friday reported that many of the more than
170,000 people who have fled to Turkey from the besieged Syrian town
of Kobane are seeking shelter in other parts of Syria or in
Iraq's Kurdistani region.”
"In
Iraq's Kurdistan Region more than 1,600 people have sought refuge at
the remote Gawilan refugee camp, some 145 kilometres from Dohuk, over
the past fortnight. Between 150 and 200 Syrians have been arriving
daily this week, and the trend is expected to continue in the coming
days,"
"Conditions
in the area have been difficult. People have contended with living
in crowded mosques or in some cases on the streets without food or
money. Many of the refugees were required to leave cars or
livestock at the border when they entered Turkey, and decided to move
to northern Iraq because they have relatives or friends there,"
“Refugees
at Gawilan camp told UNHCR of the dangers they had endured in the
initial part of their journey from Syria to safety in Turkey, with
several accounts of people being killed or maimed by land mines as
they tried to escape the ISIS push on Kobane. To enter Iraq's
Kurdistan region, people waded across small rivers. Others paid
smugglers to get through the informal border crossing at Silopi, near
Zakho.”
“The
refugees also reported executions and other atrocities by ISIS
fighters in recent weeks. One man said he had fled his village
because prisoners were being beheaded. Another said he was held
prisoner after being sentenced to death in a makeshift court set up
in a school in Manbij [66 km south-west of Kobane]. He told UNHCR
that some 400 prisoners were held in the school – 100 people per
classroom. They were beaten with leather belts five times daily. He
saw seven convicted men beheaded in front of him, and he was due to
be executed on September 28, but managed to escape with others when
the school was hit by bombs. This man still fears for the safety of
his wife and children whose whereabouts are unknown to him.”
“In
Turkey, government officials say more than 172,500 Syrians fleeing
Kobane and surrounds have entered the country over the last few
weeks. While the vast majority of these fled in the first few days of
the influx, a steady stream continues with average daily arrivals
of about 570 people over the past few days through the Yumurtalik
border crossing.”
Full
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