LONDON
The U.K. government has commended Turkey for its "generosity" in hosting Syrians fleeing the fighting in neighboring Syria.
The comments by Britain's Foreign Office came on Tuesday as Turkey continues to bear the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis, with the United Nations estimating that 1.6 million refugees are now in the country.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told Anadolu Agency: "We commend Turkey's generosity in hosting over 160,000 Syrians fleeing the fighting in Kobane."
The spokesperson said the British government found humanitarian reports from the ISIL-besieged border town of Kobane in Syria “deeply concerning” and said it was "watching developments closely".
The U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID) has provided mattresses, non-food items and shelter for distribution to the most needy refugee families, the Foreign Office said, adding that those fighting against ISIL in Kobane had managed to defend the town with the aid of Western air strikes.
- 'Strong support'
“We strongly support the coalition airstrikes that are being carried out in Syria by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan,” the spokesperson said.
The comments came a day after Turkey announced it would allow Iraqi Kurds to cross its border into Syria to help defend Kobane from ISIL militants.
British lawmakers voted 524 - 43 for air strikes on ISIL targets in Iraq on September 26.
ISIL has captured large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, declaring what it calls a cross-border Islamic "caliphate," killing thousands of people and displacing millions in the two countries.
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