Aid chief calls for access to Afrin's civilian population
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Red Cross has called for urgent access to Afrin to help the civilian population that remained in the city and the thousands who have fled, creating a situation that the United States has said they are “deeply concerned” about.
"This is a very fluid situation," Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters in Geneva on Monday, adding, "we don't know who stayed in Afrin."
"This will be a very complex and complicated situation for those who remain in Afrin and it will be difficult for those who are displaced and who at the present moment are not yet in a very stable situation where we can deliver humanitarian assistance," he explained.
An estimated 250,000 civilians fled the city in recent days as Turkish forces and their Syrian allies took control of the largest urban centre in the Kurdish canton. The civilians moved southwards, towards area still under control of the Kurdish YPG forces or the Syrian regime.
At the start of Turkey’s offensive, the United Nations had estimated the population of Afrin to be around 323,000, including many IDPs from other areas of Syria.
The UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA, has registered 98,000 people displaced from Afrin since military operations began on January 20, and estimated on Sunday that 100,000 remain in need inside Afrin’s borders.
OCHA also noted that 48 schools in Afrin were damaged by fighting and another 16 in the Tal Rafaat area are being used to shelter displaced people, meaning classes could not take place.
"We will have to find the best way possible to reach this population over the next couple of days and weeks," said Maurer. "I hope this is possible."
Turkey said it has delivered more than 30 tons of aid in Afrin since beginning its operation on January 20, the country’s disaster management agency told Al Jazeera.
Though the Turkish Red Crescent logistically could be well-placed to move into Afrin to provide aid, the ICRC’s Maurer said they would likely not be welcome by the Kurdish populace.
"The credibility of a Turkish Red Crescent working in Afrin with the Kurdish population is close to zero," Maurer explained.
The ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent are currently assisting civilians displaced from Afrin in the villages of Nubl and al-Zahra, north of Aleppo city and under control Damascus.
The ICRC’s Syrian office said on Monday morning that they have distributed bedding, water, food, and medical care, but “This is just a drop in the ocean of what families need.”
The two aid agencies had sent a convoy of 29 trucks carrying basic necessities into Afrin earlier in March and had stated last week that they were preparing a second convoy of aid.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is also assisting – sending a team to Nubl and al-Zahra and providing support for other health agencies working with the thousands of displaced families.
The US Department of State said on Monday it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of mass displacement of the Kurdish population and looting inside the city of Afrin.
“We have repeatedly expressed our serious concern to Turkish officials regarding the situation in Afrin,” the US statement read, calling on all actors to ensure humanitarian assistance can be urgently delivered and people can voluntarily return home as soon as possible.
While calling for a commitment to the UN Security Council’s resolution for a nationwide ceasefire, the State Department reiterated its commitment to NATO ally Turkey and “their legitimate security concerns.”
Turkey’s presidential spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin, told Al Jazeera that stabilization is the next step in Afrin.
“We want to make sure that all the soldiers and the civilians, Free Syrian Army, our own soldiers and the local people are safe and secure,” he said, explaining that they are clearing explosives placed in the city.
“We are making our plans to make sure that they go back safely and run their businesses,” he said of the thousands of civilians who had fled Afrin.
He also addressed reports of looting within Afrin, saying that “there might be some groups here and they may be involved in that kind of action.”
Turkey takes these reports very seriously, he said, and will take “necessary measures” on the matter.
"This is a very fluid situation," Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters in Geneva on Monday, adding, "we don't know who stayed in Afrin."
"This will be a very complex and complicated situation for those who remain in Afrin and it will be difficult for those who are displaced and who at the present moment are not yet in a very stable situation where we can deliver humanitarian assistance," he explained.
An estimated 250,000 civilians fled the city in recent days as Turkish forces and their Syrian allies took control of the largest urban centre in the Kurdish canton. The civilians moved southwards, towards area still under control of the Kurdish YPG forces or the Syrian regime.
At the start of Turkey’s offensive, the United Nations had estimated the population of Afrin to be around 323,000, including many IDPs from other areas of Syria.
The UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA, has registered 98,000 people displaced from Afrin since military operations began on January 20, and estimated on Sunday that 100,000 remain in need inside Afrin’s borders.
OCHA also noted that 48 schools in Afrin were damaged by fighting and another 16 in the Tal Rafaat area are being used to shelter displaced people, meaning classes could not take place.
"We will have to find the best way possible to reach this population over the next couple of days and weeks," said Maurer. "I hope this is possible."
Turkey said it has delivered more than 30 tons of aid in Afrin since beginning its operation on January 20, the country’s disaster management agency told Al Jazeera.
Though the Turkish Red Crescent logistically could be well-placed to move into Afrin to provide aid, the ICRC’s Maurer said they would likely not be welcome by the Kurdish populace.
"The credibility of a Turkish Red Crescent working in Afrin with the Kurdish population is close to zero," Maurer explained.
The ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent are currently assisting civilians displaced from Afrin in the villages of Nubl and al-Zahra, north of Aleppo city and under control Damascus.
The ICRC’s Syrian office said on Monday morning that they have distributed bedding, water, food, and medical care, but “This is just a drop in the ocean of what families need.”
The two aid agencies had sent a convoy of 29 trucks carrying basic necessities into Afrin earlier in March and had stated last week that they were preparing a second convoy of aid.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is also assisting – sending a team to Nubl and al-Zahra and providing support for other health agencies working with the thousands of displaced families.
The US Department of State said on Monday it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of mass displacement of the Kurdish population and looting inside the city of Afrin.
“We have repeatedly expressed our serious concern to Turkish officials regarding the situation in Afrin,” the US statement read, calling on all actors to ensure humanitarian assistance can be urgently delivered and people can voluntarily return home as soon as possible.
While calling for a commitment to the UN Security Council’s resolution for a nationwide ceasefire, the State Department reiterated its commitment to NATO ally Turkey and “their legitimate security concerns.”
Turkey’s presidential spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin, told Al Jazeera that stabilization is the next step in Afrin.
“We want to make sure that all the soldiers and the civilians, Free Syrian Army, our own soldiers and the local people are safe and secure,” he said, explaining that they are clearing explosives placed in the city.
“We are making our plans to make sure that they go back safely and run their businesses,” he said of the thousands of civilians who had fled Afrin.
He also addressed reports of looting within Afrin, saying that “there might be some groups here and they may be involved in that kind of action.”
Turkey takes these reports very seriously, he said, and will take “necessary measures” on the matter.
Civilians who fled from Afrin gather around a WHO mobile clinic in government-controlled Aleppo province on Monday. Photo: George Ourfalian/AFP
Updated at 7:30 pm