DHA photo
ISTANBUL
The number of Syrian refugees in 10 cities across Turkey now rivals the population of local residents and even outnumbers it in one city, a senior Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“In at least 10 cities, the number of Syrian refugees now constitutes a sizable portion of the city,” the official said during a meeting with a small group of journalists on Aug. 15.
The official specifically referred to the town of Kilis in the southeast near Turkey’s border with Syria, which he described as a “Syrian city” in terms of population. “The local population is 108,000 and the number of refugees is 110,000,” he said.
A relatively small portion of the Syrian refugees in Turkey are in 25 camps across 10 cities. The remainder tries to make a living in cities, many in very harsh conditions.