Syrians Refugees cross Turkish border

Syrians lined up at the Turkish border to head home after rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad, speaking of their expectations for a better life following what was for many a decade of hardship in Turkey.

The civil war that grew out of a 2011 uprising against Assad killed hundreds of thousands of people and drove millions abroad.

Turkey, which hosts three million Syrians, has extended the opening hours of the Cilvegozu border gate near the Syrian city of Aleppo seized by rebels at the end of November.

A second border gate was opened at nearby Yayladagi in Hatay.

Around 350-400 Syrians a day were already crossing back to rebel-held areas of Syria this year before the opposition rebellion began two weeks ago. The numbers have almost doubled since, Ankara says, anticipating a surge now Assad has gone.

Turkey has backed Syrian opposition forces for years but has said it had no involvement in the rebel offensive which succeeded at the weekend in unseating Assad after 13 years of civil war.

Around 100 trucks were waiting to cross the border, carrying goods including dozens of used cars. Security forces helped manage the flow of people, while aid groups offered snacks to children and tea and soup to adults.

Turkey has said it gave no support and had no involvement in the offensive by the Syrian opposition forces it has backed for years against Assad.

"Turkey does not have its eye on another country's soil or sovereignty. The only target of our cross-border operations is to protect our homeland and citizens from terrorist attacks. Syria belongs to Syrians with all their ethnic, religious and sectarian identities. The ones who will decide Syria today and its future are the people of Syria," Turkish President Erdogan said.

Yet Syrians in Turkey have been excited by the prospect of returning home since the rebellion.

Turkey said that it wanted the new Syrian administration to be inclusive and for Syrians to determine their own future.