News / Syria

Some 40k Syrians displaced in fresh clashes near Hama: UN

Tuesday, 28 March 2017 10:21 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 28 March 2017 10:27 AM ]

A tank is driven by militants near the town of Maardes in the countryside of Syria’s Hama Province on March 22, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The United Nations (UN) says about 40,000 people, mainly women and children, have been forced out of their homes due to renewed violence perpetrated by militants near the government-held Syrian city of Hama.

The UN said on Tuesday that those displaced had fled to Hama’s south and west as well as to nearby areas in the provinces of Homs, Latakia, and Tartus since the beginning of a militant offensive a few days ago.

The militants launched their biggest assault in months in the Hama countryside and the Syrian capital, Damascus, last week, prompting scuffles with Syrian government forces.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of people had been killed and injured in the clashes.

This frame grab from video provided by militants on Wednesday March 22, 2017 purportedly shows a missile being fired at positions held Syrian government forces, in Suran, northern Hama, Syria. (Via AP)

The militant attacks come despite a Syria-wide ceasefire facilitated last December through efforts by Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

On Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura wrote to Tehran, Moscow, and Ankara, pleading with the trio to urgently help save the Syria truce amid the renewed fighting.

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