Ankara prepares camps for Syrians fleeing offensive

Turkey is drawing up contingency plans to cope with possible movement of Syrian civilians towards the north of the country, as they flee Ankara’s air and ground offensive against Kurdish militia, AFP reported. The campaign in the border enclave of Afrin, unleashed on January 20, targets the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG), which are considered terrorist outfits by Ankara. Turkey’s humanitarian agencies are scouting for camp areas around Azaz, as well as Idlib, if large numbers of civilians head for the border seeking safety from the bombardment, according to the report. “We are ready to provide shelter for a maximum number of 50,000 civilians both in Azaz and in Idlib,” said Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent.