Photo Gallery The Killing Zone
Turkish soldiers guarding the border to Syria near the town of Besarslan. Turkey has taken in almost 3 million Syrian refugees in recent years, but the country has now sealed its border in the wake of the refugee deal with the EU early this year.
A soldier with the Syrian army in Aleppo. With the help of Russia, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has intensified the bombing campaign against civilians in the city. The result has been an increasing number of people fleeing north in the search for safety.
Large sections of Aleppo have been destroyed. This image from the opposition group Aleppo Media Center shows people trying to escape the violence in the eastern part of the city.
The border between Syria and Turkey has been transformed into a death strip. In the past several months, SPIEGEL ONLINE has spoken with several people in Syria and Turkey who witnessed Turkish border guards shooting at people seeking protection while Human Rights Watch documented seven similar cases in May.
UN aid workers waiting in the Turkish province of Hatay to accompany an aid convoy into neighboring Syria.
Syrian refugees on the Syrian side of the border have little left to eat and temperatures are falling as winter grips the region. Aid organizations warn that the humanitarian situation could become catastrophic.
Turkish military units in the border region. Rebel fighters and refugees report that anyone who nears the Turkish border is fired at. The Turkish army denies the accusations and says it only fires "warning shots."
