Minibus operator Asım Nebi Abu Musto could not do his job due to the immigration, and came to Turkey. He is not planning to turn back to his country until things settle down in Syria.
Asım Nebi Abu Musto: I live in Sermada in Idlib, Syria. I am 46 years old, and I have 4 children. I am a minibus operator between Sermada-Aleppo, and also I am a chairman of a transportation cooperative. Sermada is the first settlement in the entrance of Syria right after the Cilvegözü Border Gate. Sermada is a developed and modern town with 10 thousand population. Those who escape from the bombardment in Aleppo and the neighborhood prefer the areas close to Turkish border and Sermada as the safest place. However, as the settlements in the area cannot absorb all people coming from other regions, migration began to flow towards Turkey. Sermada and its neighborhood were also bombarded by air strikes from time to time, lots of houses were destroyed but the aforesaid area was not damaged as Aleppo and Hama.
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your life before the civil war in Syria, what you went through during the civil war and the reasons why you came to Turkey?
Asım Nebi Abu Musto: In the neighborhood of Sermada, Jaish al-Hur (Free Syrian Army-FSA) and also Jaish al-Nasr and Jaish al-Salafiyya (Army of Radical Islamists) set up bases and seized the control in the area. Generally single young men; those who guarantee the security and subsistence of their family by settling them in Turkey; and those who feel conscientiously and mentally comfortable join these armies. I also have my relatives and friends within Jaish al-Hur and Jaish al-Nasr. Sometimes I myself participate in the actions against the Assad forces. Some people, on the other hand, provide logistic and financial support.
As our minibus stop and the vehicles could no more work in Aleppo, the Transportation Cooperative was dissolved. Some people sold their vehicles, and some of us came to Turkey by our minibuses. I no more have income in Syria. As the immigration flow to Sermada increased, the number of local people decreased and I could no more work. As it became more difficult to go to neighboring provinces, I could not transport passengers to Aleppo either. Therefore, I brought along my family and crossed the Turkish border. I am not planning to go back to Syria until things settle down in the country.
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar in Reyhanlı district of Hatay, on 25 November 2012
