Turkey's refugee camp for Aleppo civilians gathers pace

By Salim Tas

HATAY, Turkey

Turkey will set up 10,000 tents for Aleppo refugees at camps in the Syrian city of Idlib, president of the Turkish Red Crescent told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Kerem Kinik said the Turkish body had begun building the tent city using heavy-construction equipment some 6 to 7 kilometers (around 4 miles) away from the Turkish border near the southern Hatay province.

Kinik said the tent city would be built as soon as possible.

The Turkish Red Crescent is also preparing to increase the capacity of the refugee camps as reports surface that the number of people evacuated from Aleppo could reach up to 50,000, he added.

He said the camp near the Turkish border would host rest areas, school, health center, mobile toilets and bath facilities.

"The first phase of the camp will be completed within three to four days," Kinik added.

Violence escalated in the city on Monday when Syrian regime forces advanced into opposition-held parts of eastern Aleppo following a five-month siege and persistent aerial bombardment.

The Russian-backed regime had been trying to reestablish control over parts of Aleppo captured four years ago by armed opposition groups.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which had erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the conflict and millions more displaced.