Iran Press/Middle East: Direct clashes between Turkish and Syrian troops amid a Syrian government offensive in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib province are threatening to escalate into a full-blown conflict between the two neighbors.
David Swanson, UN regional spokesperson for the crisis in Syria, said more resources, including funding, are immediately needed to save lives and alleviate suffering, predicting the figure will rise in the coming days as the clashes continues.
“This level of displacement couldn’t come at a worse time as more and more people are squeezed into an increasingly smaller area of land with little more than the clothes on their back,” he said, describing people fleeing in the middle of the night to avoid detection in temperatures below zero.
“The crisis is deepening by the minute, but the international community remains indifferent,” Swanson added.
The Syrian government has retook control of all but one area in Syria since militancy began in the country back in 2011, namely Idlib.
The Syrian army and allied forces have been gaining ground against Ankara-backed and other militants in the northwestern Idlib Province, just south of Turkey’s border, recently.
Turkey says it has lost over a dozen of its military personnel in Syrian shelling in Idlib over the past few days. 101
Read More:
Turkey beefs up border security as Syrian forces advance in Idlib
