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Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/09/turkey-resettling-refugees-northeastern-syria/
Turkey Begins Resettling Refugees in Northeastern Syria
(Foreign Policy) Lara Seligman - Turkey has begun shuttling Syrian refugees across the border into northeastern Syria despite dangerous security conditions in the border towns. Continued reports of atrocities by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army that now controls the area raise fears that Turkish proxies are committing a form of ethnic cleansing by relocating people of Arab descent into the region while preventing the Kurdish population from returning. The people being resettled are largely the families of Turkish-backed fighters who are originally from elsewhere in Syria and are primarily Arab and Turkmen. Across the region now controlled by Turkey, human rights groups report that soldiers from the Syrian National Army frequently carry out widespread lootings and summary executions, and soldiers are living unlawfully in residents' homes. Meanwhile, government services have deteriorated, and arbitrary arrests and car bombings are commonplace.