Turkey on Thursday closed its border post of Akcakale on the Syrian frontier, preventing Syrian refugees who had fled fighting in the town of Tal Abyad from returning home, an AFP correspondent reported.

Turkey on Thursday closed its border post of Akcakale on the Syrian frontier, preventing Syrian refugees who had fled fighting in the town of Tal Abyad from returning home, an AFP correspondent reported.

Turkish security forces said they were not allowing refugees across because Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia has closed the gate on the other side of the border. But the YPG denied this was the case.

The YPG had earlier this week ousted militants of the Takfiri group ISIL from Tal Abyad after fighting that prompted some 23,000 Syrian refugees to flee into Turkey.

Hundreds of Syrians had returned home on Wednesday as calm returned to the town. But on Thursday the Turkish authorities were not allowing through some 200 waiting refugees.

They said they had been told that the border would not open until Monday, meaning they will miss celebrating the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at home.

"Today we came to the gate hoping we can cross into Tal Abyad, I have been waiting since 7:00 am in the morning but they are not letting us in," said Emine, 60.

"If they have some mercy, they let us go back to our home. It's Ramadan for god's sake!"

The YPG, who now control Tal Abyad, denied that they were responsible for the border closure.

"From our point of view, the border is open... It's the Turks who closed the border from their side," YPG spokesman Redur Khali told AFP in Beirut, adding that people were continuing to return through unofficial crossing points.