Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Journalists Evacuate Northeastern Syria as Government Troops Take Border
Cities

Heather Murdock

   IRAQ, NEAR SYRIA BORDER - Dozens of journalists stepped off white
   minibuses Monday that carried them out of Syria and into Iraq. Syrian
   government troops were coming, they said, and may be taking over the
   region.

   "It's over," said one woman in camouflage trousers and boots. "We can't
   do our jobs."

   Turkish assaults in the area had been brutal over the past few days,
   and reporters have been among the hundreds killed. But the press left
   mostly because they were traveling with permits from Kurdish
   authorities in what could possibly soon be Damascus-controlled areas.
   They did not want to risk arrest.

   Sunday, the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities worked out a deal
   to counter Turkish assaults, but the details are still not clear about
   who is in charge and where. What is clear is that the deal included
   deployment of government troops in areas that have been controlled by
   Kurdish-led forces for years.

   "The TV in the lobby was showing live footage of Syrian flags and
   cheering," said Alex Lourie, a journalist who evacuated Syria on
   Monday. "So, we got the hell out and stayed with our driver's brother."

   Later that day, authorities from the regional Kurdish-led government
   were calling back the journalists, saying the agreement was "purely
   military" and "nothing could change that could put journalists and
   media professionals at risk."

.