Naif Abdo Zahir Abu Ekrem, who lived in Hama-Syria, went through all kind of difficulties and came to Turkey.
Naif Abdo Zahir Abu Ekrem: I am from Al-Rif district of Hama in Syria.
ORSAM: Could you tell us about the reason you came to Turkey and the process of your arrival in the country?
Naif Abdo Zahir Abu Ekrem: Two of my 6 children and one of my grandchildren were killed. Then I brought along my daughters, my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren, and we came to Turkey. We got on a truck, took some stuff and food, and set off. The distance between Hama and Turkey border is 130 km. Hundreds of people in our district were killed as a result of bomb attacks. So tens of thousands of people migrated like we did. There were many negative factors like the lack of oil, and rough roads. There is no means of transport on highways. Village roads are used for transportation. Besides, there are also gangs and thieves in some areas where Jaish Al-Hur is not present. They question those who pass by the route and take away their extra belongings. They do not let people go for a long time. They hold them for hours. Many injured people are treated primitively on the roads. Some of them cannot be treated even through primitive ways. One cannot live in an area of bombardment. But in the process between leaving the area and arriving in the border, you can also be killed. People who are injured die of either blood lose, or disease. When jets detect a crowded group on the road, they start to drop bombs. Artillery shells are fired from a distance. Artillery shells stop in 20 kilometers distance away from the Turkey border. Because the area is controlled by Jaish al-Hur. Even though the entire rural area of Idlib is saved, there are still Assad forces in city center. We could not feed children with anything other than dry bread and cheese on the road. We had neither time nor place where we could be safe.
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar in Reyhanlı district of Hatay, on 27 December 2012.
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