ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Refugees from Mosul and the surrounding areas have few options of where to go where they will be safe and are making a dangerous journey to seek refuge in Rojava, the Kurdish area of northern Syria. “It is one of the miracles of God that we made it through the areas controlled by extremists without being caught, and survived the harsh weather of the desert,” Othman, a 30-year old from Mosul who fled with his family, carrying his six-year old quadriplegic son on his shoulders, told the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR reported that since the start of May, 4,266 Iraqi refugees have arrived at al-Hawl camp, which is located 14 kilometres from the Iraqi border in Syria’s Hasakah province and is currently under Kurdish control. Expecting more refugees as forces battle to retake Mosul and surrounding areas, the UNHCR is bringing in supplies from Jordan to the city of Qamishli. “The first delivery of 13,000 blankets arrived on Thursday, and the total amount of aid will be enough to support up to 50,000 Iraqi refugees and Syrians hosting them in local communities.” Hasakah Governorate is hosting over 100,000 refugees – 90,000 Syrian internally displaced and 16,000 Iraqis. The UNHCR notes that the region “is currently inaccessible to UN aid deliveries by land from inside Syria and via Turkey to the north due to insecurity,” and the agency is trying to ensure humanitarian aid can be delivered from Damascus. “We are very concerned as many people are being forced to flee fighting, risking their lives and going through extreme hardship just to reach safety in remote areas,” said Sajjad Malik, the UNHCR’s representative in Syria. Rojava is suffering because of the ongoing conflict and the closure of its borders, restricting the import and export of basic goods. Security in the area is also unstable as the region borders ISIS. In addition, Kurdish forces clashed with Syrian forces in the city of Qamishlo in April. A UNHCR spokesperson, Melissa Fleming, told Al Jazeera that the refugees in northern Syria “are living now in relative safety – if you can say that for Syria.” “They don’t have many other options of places to flee in that region.”
