In Pictures

In Pictures: Exodus in Syria’s Idlib as conflict escalates

Tens of thousands in the last rebel stronghold push towards Turkey to escape sudden advance by Syrian government forces.

A general view of trucks carrying belongings of displaced Syrians, is pictured in the town of Sarmada in Idlib province, Syria, January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi — Displaced Syrians fleeing the latest wave of air attacks in the town of Sarmada in Idlib province. [Khalil Ashawi/Reuters]

Tens of thousands of people are pushing towards Turkey to escape a fast-moving advance by government forces in northwest Syria’s Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold in the country’s nearly nine-year war.

Backed by heavy Russian air attacks, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have recaptured dozens of towns in the last 10 days in a major campaign that has stoked tensions between Ankara and Moscow and raised the spectre of a new refugee crisis.

UNICEF said on Saturday that violence this week forced 6,500 children to flee daily, bringing the total number of displaced children in northwest Syria to more than 300,000 since early December.

Russia and Syria say they are fighting rebels who have stepped up attacks on civilians in Aleppo in northern Syria, but rights groups and rescue workers say air attacks and shellings have demolished hospitals, schools and homes.

Turkey, which fears a fresh wave of refugees into its territory, adding to the more than 3.6 million Syrians already there, said on Friday it would not tolerate new threats near its border and would act militarily if needed.

Trucks packed with civilians, along with their furniture and personal effects, were seen moving out of towns across much of Idlib and western Aleppo over the past week.

Syrians sit in the back of a truck as they flee the advance of the government forces in the province of Idlib, Syria, towards the Turkish border, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. Warplanes struck a town in a — According to the UN, an estimated 390,000 people have fled northwest Syria between December 1 and January 27. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]

IDLIB, SYRIA - JANUARY 30 : Locals load their belongings, that remained usable, onto a truck after Russian warplanes hit residential areas in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria on Janua — Locals load their belongings onto a truck after Russian warplanes hit residential areas in Idlib. According to Save the Children, half of those displaced are children. [Izzeddin Idilbi/Anadolu]

IDLIB, SYRIA - JANUARY 30 : A view from a hole in a hospitals wall shows collapsed and damaged buildings after Russian warplanes hit residential areas in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Sy — Backed by heavy Russian airpower, President Bashar al-Assad's forces have recaptured dozens of towns. [Izzeddin Idilbi/Anadolu]

IDLIB, SYRIA - JANUARY 30 : A stretcher is seen outside a hospital near collapsed and damaged buildings after Russian warplanes hit residential areas in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syr — Idlib and parts of rural Aleppo are the last areas controlled by the rebels in Syria. [Izzeddin Idilbi/Anadolu]

IDLIB, SYRIA - JANUARY 30 : A woman walks with a child outside a hospital near collapsed and damaged buildings after Russian warplanes hit residential areas in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwest — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday that Ankara could use military force to bring stability to Idlib. [Izzeddin Idilbi/Anadolu]

People inspect a damaged site after airstrikes on the town of Ariha, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. Warplanes struck the town in a rebel-held enclave in northwestern Syria, killing — Moscow and Damascus say they are fighting rebels who have stepped up attacks on civilians. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]

Syrian rescuers use a bulldozer to remove rubble of a destroyed building that covers a street after airstrikes in the town of Ariha, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. Warplanes struck — Rubble covers a street after air attacks in the town of Ariha in Idlib province. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]

Men riding on motorbikes pass the trucks that carry belongings of displaced Syrians, in northern Idlib, Syria January 30, 2020. Picture taken January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi — The violence and displacement have been compounded by harsh winter conditions. Idlib province is home to some 3 million people, most of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence. [Khalil Ashawi/Reuters]