Syrian refugees say fear Turkey’s backlash after car bombings

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian refugees in Turkey say they fear a backlash after car bombings that killed 50 people and wounded many others over the weekend in a border town, Reuters reported.

Turkey is home to some 400,000 refugees from the two-year civil war in Syria, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has emerged as one of the most vocal leaders in the region supporting the uprising against Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

The bombings in the border town of Reyhanli have increased fears that Syria's civil war is dragging in neighboring states, despite renewed diplomatic moves to end it. Damascus has denied Turkish allegations it was involved in the blasts.

"We are putting our trust in God but our fear is that people will blame us for the bombings and will attack us. We have to protect ourselves," said 75-year-old Mohammad Nuh, one of thousands of Syrian refugees living in Reyhanli.

His grandson, Amr Nuh, 21, said he was out buying mobile phone credits when the blasts took place, and was seized by locals because he was Syrian. They held him and called the police who kept him overnight for questioning.

Since the attacks, some locals have turned their ire on the influx of Syrians in the town. Many have expressed anger over the policies of Erdogan, blaming his support of Assad's opponents for bringing the war's impact across the border. Spontaneous demonstrations by angry young men chanting anti-Erdogan slogans have broken out. Syrian refugees have largely vanished from the streets, staying indoors for their safety.