Tens of thousands flee new Syria offensives

Tens of thousands are fleeing new regime offensives in Syria, the UN warns, as Russian airstrikes were reported to have so far killed 370 people, many of them civilians.

The mass exodus is focused south of Syria’s second city Aleppo, one of five areas where regime troops have launched renewed attacks since Russia began its air war on September 30.

“Around 35,000 people are reported to have been displaced from… the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo city, following government offensives over the last few days,” says Vanessa Huguenin, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

She says many of the displaced were living with host families and in informal settlements in the west of the province.

“People urgently need food and basic household and shelter items,” she says. “Aid agencies are growing more and more concerned for families living outdoors as the weather is getting colder, especially overnight.”

— AFP