Turkish charity sends aid to flood victims in Idlib

By Zehra Aydin Turapoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Red Crescent on Tuesday sent aid to flood victims living in refugee camps in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.

Around 50,000 internally displaced people in more than 100 refugee camps were battered by torrential downpour that started late Monday.

The humanitarian organization said it set up tents and distributed blankets and bread to the flood victims, and that the teams will continue to meet their needs.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed, and millions more displaced.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara