- Title: 'We left everything behind' - displaced Syrian family
- Date: 26th December 2019
- Summary: SARMADA, NORTH OF IDLIB, SYRIA (DECEMBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FAMILIES SITTING INSIDE A MOSQUE IN SARMADA DISPLACED MAN WHO LEFT MAARAT AL NUMAN WITH CHILDREN AND WIFE, OMAR HAYFAN, SITTING WITH CHILD CHILD SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED MAN, OMAR HAFYAN, SAYING: "We were sitting at night and suddenly we were hit by missiles during the night. The next day, we left everything behind and left, because of the intensity of the air strikes. In the morning jets also struck our neighborhood. Due to the intensity of the shelling, we wore our clothes and left. We faced difficult conditions and we reached (here)" FAMILY SITTING IN MOSQUE / GIRL EATING VARIOUS OF FAMILIES SITTING IN MOSQUE PERSONAL ITEMS INSIDE BUILDING / CLOTHES HANGING / MAN WALKING THROUGH ROOM CHILD EATING CHILDREN ENTERING BUILDING CHILD WALKING THROUGH MAKESHIFT DOOR / SHOES ON GROUND BOY STANDING NEXT TO PERSONAL ITEMS INCLUDING MATTRESSES AND POTS VARIOUS OF VEHICLES DRIVING
- Embargoed: 9th January 2020 17:52
- Keywords: Idlib Russian and Syrian air strikes Syria conflict Syria displaced Syria refugees Syrian and Russian forces have recently intensified their bombardment of targets around the city of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib
- Location: SARMADA, NORTH OF IDLIB, SYRIA
- City: SARMADA, NORTH OF IDLIB, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBM4IFB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dozens of families were seeking shelter at a mosque in Idlib's Harem district on Thursday (December 26) after fleeing Syrian and Russian air strikes in the rebel-held northwestern province.
Omar Hayfan and his family were among those who fled their home in the city of Maarat al-Numan with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
Syrian and Russian forces have escalated their bombardment of targets around Maarat al-Numan, forcing civilians to leave the area and head towards the Turkish border.
Maarat al-Numan has previously been a refuge for families who were forced to leave other areas of Syria recaptured by Damascus earlier in an 8-1/2-year-old civil war, but the heightened presence of government forces in the area over the past two weeks has driven people to seek safety elsewhere.
A Russian-led aerial bombing campaign has helped Syrian government forces close in on the strategic city, which has been a major factor in the flight of civilians toward Turkey.
So far, the offensive has sparked an exodus of at least 80,000 people in all of Idlib province, including 30,000 in the past week alone, the United Nations said on Monday (December 23). It has also resulted in a score of civilian casualties.
(Production: Muath Freij / Hannah Ellison) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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