More than 7,500 refugees have returned to Syria from Turkey since the regime of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled last week, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
More than 1,000 Syrians had crossed the border daily from Monday up to and including Friday, he wrote on social media platform X late on Saturday. Smaller numbers had already crossed between December 6 and December 8, Yerlikaya said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) counted 3,000 returnees on the Turkish-Syrian border up to Friday.
Turkey has taken in the largest number of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war that began in 2011. According to UN figures, around 3 million Syrians live in the country. Those returning home lose their right to remain in Turkey on crossing the border.
The UNHCR puts the total number of Syrian refugees at 4.8 million, with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt also hosting large numbers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had come under pressure domestically over the large number of Syrian refugees in the country and has called for most of them to return.
Turkish migration expert Murat Erdoğan believes the majority will prefer to remain in Turkey, however. He cites the poor economic and security situation in Syria and the fact that many Syrians have created a new life for themselves during a lengthy period in exile.
Syrians wait to cross into Syria from Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate, near Hatay in southern Turkey. Ahmed Deeb/dpa
