Turkey was preparing Saturday for a new influx of refugees fleeing a major offensive by Syria’s Russian-backed regime, with tens of thousands of Syrians camped out near a closed border crossing. <br /> <br />The United Nations said some 20,000 people have gathered at the Bab al-Salam crossing, hoping to reach Turkey, which already hosts more than two million refugees from the bloody conflict. <br /> <br />The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights for its part estimated some 40,000 people had been forced to leave their homes since last Monday. <br /> <br />Turkish authorities were working to free up space within the existing camps along the Syrian border to accommodate the new arrivals. <br /> <br />Opposition forces and some 350,000 civilians were inside the rebel-held Aleppo city, which was targeted in the government offensive. <br /> <br />An AFP correspondent saw trucks carrying parts for tents Friday to the refugee camp close to the border gate on the Turkish side which faces the Bab al-Salam crossing on Syrian soil. <br /> <br />At least four Turkish aid trucks were also seen returning to Turkey after making deliveries of food to the Syrian side of the border. <br /> <br />Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in a statement that it had finalised preparations for a possible influx. <br /> <br />Turkey faced a similar experience in 2014 when 200,000 refugees fled the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane over three days as the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish fighters battled for control. <br /> <br />AFAD said a registration system that complies with international standards was set up to receive refugees, which includes a health scan, food and shelter. <br /> <br />The government offensive is targeting the Aleppo province, which was once a rebel stronghold, providing easy access to neighbouring Turkey, a key opposition backer. <br /> <br />The city itself has been divided between rebel control in the east and government control in the west since mid-2012. <br /> <br />But government forces have steadily chipped away at rebel-held territory around the city and their advances this week leave the opposition there virtually surrounded. <br /> <br />The advance is the most significant outcome yet of the Russian intervention that began on September 30, ostensibly targeting the Islamic State group and other “terrorists”. <br /> <br />Analysts and activists say Russia’s strikes have always disproportionately targeted non-jihadist rebels in an attempt to bolster President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
