"The area is almost empty": About a quarter of a million fled the fighting in Idlib

The UN said the mass displacement in the last two weeks, as a result of the Assad-backed offensive by Russia, has drained residents of the a-Na'man cave area. The forces have taken control of dozens of towns and villages, whose residents are fleeing in anticipation of the battle's progress.

"The area is almost empty": About a quarter of a million fled the fighting in Idlib

More than 235,000 people have fled the Idlib region in the past two weeks - the United Nations said Friday, as the fierce fighting between the Russian-backed Syrian army and the insurgents in the last major stronghold of the opposition was made. , The mass displacement, between 12 and 25 months, left the "nearly empty" a-Na'aman cave area in southern Idlib.

Since mid-December, regime forces backed by the Russian Air Force have stepped up attacks against South Idlib jihadist insurgents and organizations, despite a ceasefire reached in August and calls for a halt by Turkey, France and the United Nations. Talks in Moscow with Russian delegates Turkey is worried about another wave of refugees in its territory, with about three million Syrian refugees staying.

The increase in air strikes comes at the same time as advances in the Assad army, which took over dozens of towns and villages from the armed groups in the past week. Hundreds of fighters were killed in the ranks of both sides. The UN statement says that residents of the town of Sarqib, which is adjacent to a-Na'aman Cave, are now fleeing in anticipation of the battle's progress.

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Read more about fighting in Idlib

Experienced Idlib residents, this week (Photo: Reuters)

Residents flee fighting zone in Idlib province, Syria, December 24, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Idlib is the stronghold of Tahrir a-Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate in the country. Its leader, Muhammad al-Giulani, implored his fighters and rebels this week to face the front and fight "the conquering Russians" and the regime. Around three million people live in the area, many of whom have fled to other fronts in Syria since the start of the war.

Assad, whose forces control about 70% of Syria's territory, promises repeatedly to be deployed throughout the country. The previous big offensive. The previous major offensive, which began in April, led to the killing of about 1,000 people and about 400,000 displaced persons. She was arrested for a cease-fire in August, but the bombings continued.

On Tuesday, France called for an "immediate halt to the escalation", warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Since the war in Syria began in 2011, after Assad tried to crush his rule as part of the "Arab Spring" events, hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Millions more have fled their homes, many fleeing the country.

(Update first: 16:38)