30,000 people displaced over Syria's Idlib fall: UN

Yacoub El Hillo said Monday that as a result of the escalation of fighting between al-Qaeda-linked terrorists and government troops, many civilians have also lost their lives and some 30,000 people have fled their homes.
 
"I am gravely concerned by the ongoing fighting taking place in Idlib governorate and its possible impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians," El Hillo added.
 
According to officials, the displaced have fled to the central province of Hama, with the Syrian government providing food and shelter to them.
 
Meanwhile, the UN cautioned that in case of the continuation of the violence, some large-scale displacement could push civilians into neighboring governorates and across the border into Turkey.
 
The United Nations earlier warned of a “horrifying” humanitarian situation in Syria, unless some USD 8.4 billion was procured to address the country’s crisis.
 
Meanwhile, Syrian forces have been regrouping on the outskirts of Idlib to retake the city after it fell to the al-Nusra Front terrorists a few days ago.
 
Idlib has been the epicenter of deadly fighting between government troops and militants for months. It is located near the strategically significant main highway that links Damascus to the key northern city of Aleppo.
 
Idlib is Syria’s second provincial capital to fall into the hands of militants following the fall of the northern city of Raqqah in March 2013.
 
The al-Nusra Front is a terrorist group which is responsible for heinous acts of terror against innocent civilians in Syria.
 
The Arab country is in its fifth year of a foreign-sponsored conflict that has so far claimed the lives of more than 215,000 people and left trails of massive destruction.