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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- About 40,000 people fled towns in northern Syria last week amid intensified conflict between government forces and rebel groups, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday, citing the report of UN relief agency.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier that between Oct. 4 and Oct. 9, approximately 7,000 households, or up to 40,000 people, fled towns in northern rural Hama in Syria.
"Humanitarian partners estimate that at least 2,000 families from the total number of displaced have gathered in open spaces and that some 200 families have managed to find shelter with host families or rented homes," Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.
"Most internally displaced people have fled to towns in Idleb governorate," the spokesman said. "Many of the displaced population have opted to remain in close proximity to their homes, in the hope of returning should fighting cease in coming days."
"Most IDP (internally displaced persons) camps and settlements in the areas have reached their full capacity and cannot accommodate additional arrivals," he said. "The most urgent humanitarian needs include basic food items, basic supplies, shelter and water as well as hygiene kits."
Syria's army chief of staff, Gen. Abdullah Ayoub, said last week that the military has unleashed a broad offensive against rebel-held areas across the country, buoyed by the Russian air support, according to the state news agency SANA.
"Today the Syrian armed forces have started a wide-scale offensive with the aim of eliminating the terrorists' positions and liberate the areas and towns that have suffered from terrorism and its woes and crimes," Ayoub said in a statement issued last Tuesday.
On Monday, the Syrian army recaptured 70 km of rebel-held territory in central province of Hama, as the Syrian ground force waged attacks last Wednesday under the cover of Russian war jets, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.
About 50 km of the retaken territory were under the control of the Jaish al-Fateh group, or the Conquer Army, an alliance of several jihadi groups, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, said the report, adding the other 20 km were under the control of other rebel groups.
The Hama battle marks the first instance where the Syrian military ground forces have carried out a broad offensive under the direct Russian air support.
