Over 38,000 flee homes in northwest Syria: UN

BEIRUT: Tens of thousands of civilians fled their homes in northwestern Syria last week in the face of intensified bombardment of rebel territory by pro-government forces, the United Nations said on Friday.

Between 15 and 19 January, more than 38,000 people fled violence in the rebel-held west of Aleppo province, which neighbours the main opposition bastion of Idlib, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said. OCHA spokesman David Swanson said the displaced were heading north into territory controlled by Turkish-backed rebel forces or west into militant-dominated Idlib province. Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says some of the deadliest strikes of recent days have been carried out by government ally Russia.