My Forgotten War
b"
Turkey hosts the largest population of refugees and asylum seekers in the world. These include around 3.6 million Syrians, who fled there during the war in their country.\\n \\nNow many of those Syrian refugees feel forgotten, and again unsafe, and tensions with locals are higher than ever.\\n \\nSeven years ago, the EU handed Turkey 6 billion euros in a deal to stop Syrians heading to Europe.\\n \\nSince then, many Turks say their welcome has worn thin. And now, the Turkish government is deporting Syrians it says are in Turkey illegally, back to the warzone.
Karam was 19 when the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, had security forces fire on peaceful protestors and arrest hundreds of citizens. Karam was one of those arrested, and after being released he eventually paid a people smuggler to take him to Turkey. He believes that he\\u2019ll be arrested and tortured if he returnsto Syria. But he\\u2019s also afraid to stay in Turkey, saying that local Police ask for his papers around five times a day.
Hannah Lucinda Smith is in Esenyurt, a predominantly Syrian district around an hour's drive from the centre of Istanbul, speaking to both Syrians and Turks about why tensions have escalated. She's asking what\\u2019s next for Syrians living there, and whether or not it will ever be safe enough for them to return home.
A Depictar production for the BBC World Service.
"