Fighting in Idlib causes biggest humanitarian crisis in the World

The top UN humanitarian official for Syria said Tuesday the crisis in northwest Idlib where nearly one million people have fled to avoid escalating hostilities is "probably the biggest crisis we have in the world today."

Iran Press/Middle East: Kevin Kennedy said that despite a massive relief operation, the needs are overwhelming and "we have a long, long way to go."

Kennedy said they saw the massive needs and "the trauma that these people are living in - the newly displaced or (those) there for some time."

Although the camp was established three years ago and was fairly well supported by several non-governmental organizations, Kennedy said, "conditions there were very, very difficult - the sanitation, the shelter, the health facilities were not available."

He said about 30 percent of the nearly 8,000 people there were new arrivals.

"What was really striking was you could stand there and look out at the hills surrounding this camp and there were thousands of people clustered - not in camps, (but) with individual tents, or many without tents, living under trees or just out in the open - and it gives you a real feel for the full dimensions of this crisis and the enormous human need," Kennedy said.

He said the other striking thing is that over half the nearly one million displaced people - probably 600,000 - are children, who are caught in a very barren landscape in austere conditions, with little to do and very little education available, "and are just sitting there hoping something will happen."

Syrian Army operation for liberating last bastions of terrorist in Idlib provinces halted by Turkey intervention and Turkish Army attacks on Syrian Army positions in Idlib fled people from their homes.

Following the escalation of tensions in Syria’s Idlib, Turkey has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into Syria and Erdogan has warned Turkey would launch a full-scale offensive to repel Syrian forces unless they pulled back from Turkish observation posts in the region.

In recent days, the Syrian army has managed to liberate several areas and villages in the south and east of Idlib province.The province of Idlib is the last base of terrorists in Syria.

Syrian Army has reclaimed significant territory since launching a stepped-up offensive in December, including areas around some of the Turkish military posts in Idlib.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened the Syrian government in recent days, saying the offensive violates a 2018 deal with Russia meant to prevent a broad military operation.

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