Hundreds of Syrians line up at Turkish border crossings as Erdogan expects more to go home

Assocaited Press

CILVEGOZU BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — Hundreds of Syrian refugees have gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey, eagerly anticipating their return to Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government. Assad’s fall has sparked widespread joy among Turkey’s 3 million Syrian refugees. Turkish officials have not said how many Syrians have returned. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the numbers would increase as Syria stabilizes, and announced plans to reopen a third crossing. Turkey welcomed Syrian refugees with open arms in the early years of Syria’s civil war that broke out in 2011 — becoming host to the world’s largest number of refugees.