Syria’s refugees flee to cities without food or water as Turkish forces advance

In north-east Syria, Lazgin Ahmed and his infant daughter Ilana are among an exodus of Kurds fleeing the advance of Turkish forces.

He left his border town of Darbassiyah a week ago and has moved south, away from the shelling.

He is now sharing a mudbrick home with two other families, and is struggling to find food and water.

“The situation is very bad, I have a six-month-old daughter,” he said

“I cannot find her milk because everywhere is closed. Bread is hard to find and the cost very high, and you cannot find water.”

Refugees are pouring into the city of Hasakah as Turkey and its militias push south from the border.

The situation for the Kurdish population of northern Syria changed rapidly last week when US troops began leaving the area, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey.

Since 2014, the Kurds had fought alongside the US in defeating the Islamic State in Syria, but Turkey sees Kurdish forces as a threat along their border and an extension of a Turkish Kurdish insurgency group.

The Kurdish Red Crescent said 200,000 civilians had been displaced since the Turkish offensive began.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*