Turkey Seeks Expansion Of Syrian 'Safe Zone' For Refugees

ATMEH, SYRIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Displaced Syrian children hugs a Turkish Red Crescent officer in an orphanage on September 17, 2019 in Ad Dana, Syria. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is pushing for the creation of an expa nded “safe zone” in northern Syria where his government hopes to resettle up to three million Syrian refugees. The United States and Turkey recently started joint patrols of a small buffer zone along the border, but it’s a far cry from the 20-by-300 mile strip proposed by Mr. Erdogan, and no other power involved in the war as agreed to the idea. Turkey has warned that, if it doesn’t receive more international support for the safe zone, it might relax its migration controls and reopen the route for refugees to enter Europe. More than 3.6 million Syrian refugees have settled in Turkey after fleeing the civil war that began in 2011. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)