70,000 children displaced by NE Syrian violence

Beirut, October 21

An international aid group says about 70,000 children have been displaced since the start of the Turkish offensive in north-eastern Syria.

The United Nations has said more than 176,000 people have been uprooted.

Save the Children says many of the displaced have sought shelters in two dozen schools in Hassakeh city, southeast of the area where Turkey had launched an offensive earlier this month.

The aid group says power lines of a water station have been damaged by fighting, so there is no steady flow of water to the city and its surrounding areas. That’s left both the displaced and city residents dependent on water trucks.

The organisation’s Syria response team director, Sonia Khush, called for unrestricted access to children in need. She said in a statement late Sunday that residents of north-eastern Syria had already been reliant on humanitarian aid before the violence and were in acute need.

A ceasefire has been negotiated by the United States, securing a reduction in violence. However, it ends Tuesday. — AP