An upsurge in aerial bombardment by the Assad regime and Russian air forces on the town of Jisr al-Shughour in rural Idlib has caused a mass exodus of civilians towards the border with Turkey in the past 48 hours.
According to local activists, the intensified aerial bombardment has killed and injured dozens of the town’s residents and caused massive destruction to property, noting that at least 35,000 civilians have fled the town since Friday.
The activists added that no fewer than 5,000 civilians remined in the ravaged town, pointing out that the remaining civilians are in dire need of humanitarian assistance amid lack of relief organizations in the region.
The airstrikes targeted healthcare facilities, schools and services centers as well as the major roads to disrupt the work of the civil defense teams and medical organizations.
Since July 10, Jisr al-Shughour has been subjected to relentless aerial bombardment by the Russian and Assad regime air forces in response to the rebel fighters’ advance on regime positions in northern rural Lattakia.
The Syrian Coalition earlier said that the brutal bombardment of the town is aimed at emptying the town of its population. It stressed that the ongoing bombing campaign in Idlib aims to undermine efforts to resume the political process as it called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities with regards to the protection of civilians and the cessation of military operations.
On July 12, civic bodies in the town said that the town became a disaster area as a result of the brutal bombardment which caused widespread destruction to public and private property as well as the infrastructure. They urged humanitarian organizations to relive the town and shoulder their responsibilities. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
