Kurdish authorities say Turkish assault displaces 275,000 in northern Syria
Damascus, Oct 15 (Xinhua/UNI) The Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, known as Rojava, said on Tuesday that the ongoing Turkish assault in northern Syria has so far displaced over 275,000 people.
A total of 70,000 children are among the displaced people, who left areas in the northern provinces of Hasakah and Raqqa as a result of the Turkish military campaign that started on Oct. 9 against Kurdish-controlled areas in northern and northeastern Syria, Rojava said in a statement.
Additionally, there is a large number of patients who lack proper medical care as most of the medical centers in the targeted areas have stopped working.
Many of the displaced are sleeping on the streets or in the schools for the lack of humanitarian services because most of the humanitarian organizations have stopped their activities in that region.
The statement urged the United Nations and the Arab League as well as the European Union to immediately intervene to provide medical help and logistic support to prevent the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis.
On Oct. 9, Turkey started the military campaign in northern Syria in an attempt to eliminate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its umbrella, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, which are both deemed by Ankara as separatists and terrorists.
The Turkish operation also aims to create a safe zone in northern Syria to resettle millions of Syrian refugees who are being hosted by Turkey.
The campaign came after the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from northern Syria, which was seen as a sign of abandoning the Kurdish forces that are considered as Washington's allies in fighting the Islamic State militants in Syria.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry has issued two statements since the beginning of the Turkish operation, accusing Ankara of targeting residential areas and causing deaths of civilians while holding the Kurdish forces responsible for the Turkish military incursion.
A deal, however, has recently been reached between the Kurdish forces and Damascus, which led to the Syrian army's entry to Kurdish-held areas to protect them against the Turkish assault.
Image: Xinhua/UNI
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