Villages overwhelmed as Idlib's displaced head for Turkish border
Thousands of civilians are fleeing their homes in Idlib as the Syrian regime, backed by Russia, bombs the area ahead of a ground offensive.
ALEPPO, Syria — Following intense Russian and Syrian shelling of opposition-controlled areas in the southern countryside of Idlib, the northern villages of Hama and the plain of al-Ghab, thousands of civilians fled their homes, heading toward safer areas north of Idlib and Aleppo’s northern and western countrysides.
On Sept. 4, Russian and Syrian warplanes stepped up their attacks against opposition-held areas in the countryside of Idlib, targeting the area of Jisr al-Shughour with dozens of raids, killing and wounding a large number of civilians.
On Sept. 10, the UN reported that the attacks had displaced over 30,000 people. David Swanson, the spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, noted that Russian and Syrian shelling forced 30,542 people to move to different areas within the province of Idlib.
At a press conference held on Sept. 13, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned against the consequences of the Syrian regime's military operations against Idlib, backed by Russia.
