Interior minister: Turkey to carry out census of Syrian refugees

By  Trend

Turkey will carry out a census of Syrian refugees, the Turkish media cited Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu as saying on Dec. 4.

“The presence of Syrian refugees in Turkey is a very complex issue and should be thoroughly examined,” he said.

Soylu also stressed that after the Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield operations were conducted, 285,000 Syrian refugees returned to Syria.

Presently, there are 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.