Turkey temporarily closes Syria border crossing

Turkey's border crossing with Syria shut down for a few hours over weekend, with no official explanation for closure.

Syrians at anti-Assad protest in Deir al-Zour_311 reuters  (photo credit: Ho New / Reuters)
Syrians at anti-Assad protest in Deir al-Zour_311 reuters
(photo credit: Ho New / Reuters)
Turkey's border crossing with Syria was shut down for a few hours Saturday.
Cars and trucks lined up in Turkey with no official word on the shut down.
One unnamed official blamed technical problems.
"We have been waiting here for hours. They said there was a technical glitch but we don't believe it, this cannot be the truth," said an unnamed Turkish driver.
More than 1,500 Syrian refugees crossed to Turkey on Thursday after the Syrian army swept up to the border in its campaign to stamp out anti-government protests.
The total number of refugees registered at the temporary shelter camps is close to 12,000.
Turkey and Syria have enjoyed close relations in recent years. But since pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in March in Syria, Turkey has become increasingly critical of its neighbor.