UN says 134,000 displaced in northeast Syria after clashes between govt, Kurds

BEIRUT, Jan 23: More than 134,000 people have been displaced in northeast Syria, the United Nations migration agency said Thursday, after clashes and a fragile ceasefire deal between government and Kurdish-led forces.

In the past three days, the number of internally displaced people in Hasakeh province "has increased to approximately 134,803 individuals" compared to 5,725 recorded on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.

Syria's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed a fresh four-day ceasefire on Tuesday evening after the army sent reinforcements to Hasakeh province, the Kurds' stronghold in the northeast.

Under military and political pressure from Damascus, which is seeking to extend its control across the country, the SDF has relinquished swathes of territory in recent days and withdrawn to parts of Hasakeh province.

"Displacement during this period reflects concerns of potential clashes between the SDF and government forces, particularly among those residing near SDF prisons and military headquarters," the IOM added.

It said more than 41,000 people were in collective shelters in Hasakeh province and "are in urgent need of food" and other basic items such as mattresses and blankets.

It also said some 1,647 people were also displaced in Aleppo province's Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane, where residents told AFP that they lacked food, water and power.    �"AFP