Turkish troops kill nine Syrian refugees crossing the border

Nine members of one family, most of them women and children were killed on Saturday night by Turkish border guards, and eight others were injured.  

The Syrian refugees were attempting to cross the border into Turkey near the town of Kherbet Eljoz, northwest of the city of Idlib, north Syria.

"Several families from the city of Jarablus, north east of the city of Aleppo and Idlib tried to cross the border on Saturday night towards Turkey," a source from the town who wished to remain anonymous told The New Arab.  

"Turkish border guards opened fire on them indiscriminately, killing nine people and wounding eight others", he said.  

"The dead are all from one family - three children, four women and a man displaced from the city of Jarablus. They fled the city when they heard the fighting near them," according to the source.  

This is not the first time that displaced Syrians have been killed by Turkish border guards.  Activists have documented the killing of at least fifty people in the past few months.  

The UN and other humanitarian organisations have condemned actions taken by Turkey against Syrian refugees with Doctors Beyond Borders calling on the Turkish government to open its borders to thousands fleeing the conflict in Syria.  

The Turkish government closed its borders to Syrian refugees around a year ago, but permitted entry to critical medical cases and humanitarian organisations.  

Turkey received two and a half million Syrian refugees, most of whom reside outside the border camps and receive medical and educational services from the Turkish government.