Turkey denies its forces opened fire on fleeing Syrians

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday denied claims that Turkish security forces had opened fire on Syrians feeling Daesh.

"The claims the Turkish Armed Forces opened fire on Syrian civilians fleeing Daesh in Turkey's south, which emerged in some international media organs, have nothing to do with reality," said ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic in a statement.

In the statement, Bilgic pointed out that Turkey has been hosting some 3 million Syrians fleeing violence in Syria and that just last week, thousands of Syrians were displaced as a result of Daesh attacks in northern Syria.

"Our country's aid agencies have been taking necessary measures to aid Syrians with the latest developments," he added.

Human Rights Watch last week claimed that Turkish security forces fired live rounds at Syrians at the border fleeing clashes between Daesh and some other groups.

On Friday, some 30,000 Syrians sought refuge near the Turkish border after Daesh targeted camps in the northern province of Aleppo, according to Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) officials.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which broke out as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.