Turkey opens border to Syrian Kurds fleeing IS

ANKARA, Sept 19 (AFP): Turkey Friday opened up its border to thousands of Kurds fleeing clashes with Islamic State (IS) insurgents in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

Live television footage showed Syrian Kurd refugees, mostly women and children, crossing to the Turkish side of the border in the southeastern village of Dikmetas, under tight security.

"We have taken in 4,000 brothers," Davutoglu told reporters in Azerbaijan. "The entries have started now. The number might increase. Their needs will be met. This is a humanitarian mission."

Ankara, which has given shelter to some 1.5 million refugees from the Syrian conflict under an open-door policy, has been refusing to accept any more for fear of being overwhelmed.

Earlier Friday, security forces fired tear gas and water cannon at around 100 Turkish Kurds protesting in Dikmetas at Ankara's refusal to take in the desperate thousands who have massed on the other side of the border in recent days.