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ORSAM
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES
quake took place, and the building that we
lived in was destroyed. When we let ourselves
out, we saw that the buildings around us were
also destroyed and everything had burned
into flames. We could not save anything other
than the clothes we wore and some stuff
in the apartment. We set off from Aleppo to
come to Turkey along with many other families.
My retirement pension is 15 thousand
SYP. We could only arrive in Idlib by bribing.
One night, we hid in an oil grove in Idlib.
There were tens of people hiding there like us.
We had neither bed nor blanket to cover ourselves
in the chill of night, or bread or toilet.
All families shared bread, pickles, halvah they
brought along among themselves. Our goal
was to come to Turkey, but they said we had
to wait. We suffered among olive groves for
days. Fear, concern, famine, cries of my children
devastated us. But we had no other option,
we had to wait. A pickup truck came and
transported us from Idlib to Turkey border
for 10 thousand SYP per family. I paid 2 thousand
SYP to go from Cilvegözü to Reyhanlı.
After all, I only have 3 thousand SYP left now.
I can neither rent an apartment nor feed my
children. My only hope is tent cities.
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar
in Reyhanlı district of Hatay, on 10 October
2012.
An Interview with Gani Lütfi Kelmo abu
Reshad, who came from Syria to Reyhanlı
district of Hatay
Gani Lütfi Kelmo abu Reshad took shelter in
Turkey along with his wife and children when
the Harim district he lived in was destroyed
between the opposition and the Assad Army.
ORSAM: Could you introduce yourself?
Gani Lütfi Kelmo abu Reshad: I live in
Harim district of Idlib. I work in the field of
plumbing and trench work. I am 45 years old.
Harim is located 3 km away from Reyhanlı.
Districts and villages make a living from agriculture
and stockbreeding.
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your experiences
in Syria and the reasons why you
came to Turkey?
Gani Lütfi Kelmo abu Reshad: During the
Hafez Assad period, the government distributed
lands to Harim district and its villages.
The locals of this area started to operate the
lands they rented from the government at a
low cost. The mountainous and stony areas
where dry farming used to be made in the
past were cleaned and the areas became suitable
for irrigated farming. While lowlands
were reserved for grain, cotton and seasonal
vegetables, the highlands were reserved for
various fruit trees and olive groves. Those
who live in this area have been engaged in
farming all their life. After Hafez Assad came
into power, we became pro Assad supporters
and we reaped the benefits. We always
excluded the opponents in our area, and we
even reported against them. When the civil
war broke out in Syria, unrest came along
in neighboring provinces and districts. Even
though elders did not object, the young started
to join the Jaish al Hur. The two districts
called Harim and Salkin which are known as
the strongholds of Bashar became anti Assad
districts such as others. Those who are against
Assad and those who are not started to fight
against each others. While the opponents
armed some of their supporters, the Assad
Army armed its supporters as well. First of all,
villages and hamlets were destroyed. Water
systems, irrigation canals were destroyed, and
agricultural equipments were set on fire. Both
districts were surrounded by tanks and they
started to be bombed. The bombing lasted for
days and we had many losses. I ran away from
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ORSAM
Report No: 157, May 2013