Military Helicopter Crash in Istanbul, Four Dead

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country's borders with Europe are now open.

Thousands of refugees have gathered on the border with Greece.

Erdogan's announcement makes good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into Europe.

But it's dramatic departure from current policy, and apparently an attempt to pressure Europe for more aid to deal with the 3.5 million refugees living in Turkey.

It also comes amid a military escalation in neighboring Syria.

Turkey might face international pressure to offer refuge to masses of desperate Syrian civilians fleeing the fighting.

But Erdogan says Turkey “cant handle a new wave of migration,” in an apparent reference to the growing humanitarian crisis in Idlib.

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