More than 150 thousand internally displaced persons moved to the border with Turkey against the background of exacerbation of military operations in Idlib province in north-west Syria, head of Turkish branch of the Red Crescent Society Kerem Kynyk told.
“As a result of exacerbation of military operations mainly in southern parts of Idlib, more than 150 thousand people were forced to move from Ma’arrat al-Nu’man town and rural areas. These people headed north of Idlib, moving closer to the Turkish border”, – Kynyk said.
He added that the existing refugee camps in Idlib were already overcrowded and it was impossible to accommodate new people there.
Kynyk also noted that the Turkish Red Crescent is currently providing humanitarian support to eight refugee camps, six hospitals, 39 hospitals and 15 orphanages in northern Syria. However, the head of the office said the organization needs more support to provide humanitarian assistance to people in need in northern Syria.
“The need for humanitarian assistance in Syria is increasing every day, but funding is not expected to increase. It is not easy even to support the current level of humanitarian activities…We need sponsors to further support our humanitarian programmes”, – Kynyk added.
The armed conflict in Syria has continued since 2011. In late 2017, it was announced that the ISIS terrorist group in Syria and Iraq had been defeated. Militant cleansing continues in parts of the country. A political settlement, the reconstruction of Syria and the return of refugees are now in the forefront.