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Millions of Syrian refugees could soon go home. They want to return after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad. He ruled Syria for 24 years. Rebels took control of parts of Syria on Friday. Thousands of refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt want to go back to their hometowns. The U.N. believes there are around 5 million refugees in the Middle East. This includes two million school-aged children. Another 1.3 million refugees are in other countries, mostly in Europe. Turkey's president said: "God willing, voluntary, safe…returns will increase."
Many refugees have spoken to journalists. Muhammed Zin, 28, told the AP news agency: "Assad was…killing us. I will return to Syria now. Thank God, the war is over." He left Syria in 2016, five years after civil war broke out. Another returnee, Malak Matar, told reporters he has waited for 14 years to return. He said: "We feel…we can express ourselves. The country is free, and the barriers have been broken down." He was hopeful for the future. He added: "Syrians have to create a country that is well organized and takes care of its people. It's a new phase."
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