Thousands flee Syrian regime and IS in Deir al-Zor to Rojava

DEIR AL-ZOR, Syria (Kurdistan 24) – Thousands of Syrian civilians fled the areas controlled by the Syrian army and Islamic State (IS) in Deir al-Zor province and sheltered in the Kurdish areas in the country’s northeast, camps managers said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Kurdistan 24, Jalal Amer, the manager of Ain Issa camp in northern Raqqa, said more than twenty thousand people from Deir al-Zor province arrived in the camp.

“Apart from tens of thousands of civilians fleeing Raqqa, we are receiving thousands from Deir al-Zor as well,” he said.

“Last week, we received seven thousand from Deir al-Zor province,” he added.

Additionally, another camp called Qana in the south of Hasaka has received about four thousand IDPs from Deir al-Zor province since the beginning of an offensive by the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State (IS) last month.

People of the camp told Kurdistan 24 their children suffer from the bad conditions in the camp.

“There is no clean drinking water,” said an IDP from Deir al-Zor countryside.

“You see water is dirty and dust is everywhere, and there is no electricity,” said another IDP.

The SDF, of which the Kurdish YPG is a leading component, launched an offensive on Deir al-Zor province last month and so far has seized most areas of northern Euphrates River from IS.

Syrian government forces, supported by Russian airstrikes and Iran-backed militias, are converging on IS in separate offensives around Deir al-Zor.

The Syrian government side has advanced into the city from the west after they broke a three-year IS siege of the city on the southern bank of the river.

Last week, The Syrian government forces had reached Mayadeen town, an IS stronghold east to Der al-Zor, and taken positions parallel with a key road to the border with Iraq.  

Editing by Ava Homa

(Additional reporting by Redwan Bezar and Ferhad Ehme from Hasaka and Ain Issa)