Over 130 thousand people left their homes due to the Turkish military operation in the areas of Tell Abyad and Ras Al Ain, but the total number of immigrants may exceed 400 thousand, said Jens Lerke, the official representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs.
“Resettlements continue from the suburban areas of Tell Abyad and Ras al Ain in northeastern Syria. At present, it is estimated that over 130,000 people have left their homes, but the accurate data is still difficult to identify”, – he said.
According to OCHA, about 400 thousand people may need humanitarian assistance.
Lerke recalled that since October 11, all public and private hospitals in both towns stopped working. Humanitarian agencies are also concerned about the security situation for their staff, who remain in areas affected by hostilities. In the village of Kamyshly, the UN has 134 people remaining, 124 of which are local employees and 10 foreigners. The total number of foreign workers in this region of Syria has decreased from 384 to 200 people.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on October 9 announced the launch of Operation Source of Peace in northern Syria against the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Islamic State terrorist group* banned in Turkey.
Turkish aviation attacked the city of Ras al-Ain and a number of other Syrian cities on the border of the two countries on the same day. Later it was announced the start of the ground part of the operation. Syrian authorities have repeatedly condemned the occupation policy of Turkey in northern Syria.
Russia stated that Turkey needs to avoid actions that could stand in the way of resolving the Syrian conflict, which has been ongoing since 2011.
* – banned in Russia.