Baladi News – Aleppo (Ziad Al-halabi)
Hundreds of families are fleeing ISIS- held areas in Al-Raqqa governorate and Aleppo northern Countryside towards Deir Al-zour and rebel-held areas in Aleppo northern countryside.
Activists indicated that the families sought shelter in school buildings and mosques in Aleppo northern countryside, and dozens others resorted to farmlands and are living in difficult circumstances. Part of the families headed towards the northern borders, waiting to be allowed to cross to Turkey under severe restrictions from the Turkish army.
Ahmed Mohammed, member of Syrian Institute for Justice, reported the same, referring to several reasons of this huge displacement, including “ISIS oppression against the families, particularly the youth, difficult living circumstances, lack of jobs, and expensive prices of scarce food stuff”
The speaker also attributed this displacement to “death penalties applied against citizens at random as well as prosecution of activists and families of free army fighters”. Other reasons include ISIS deeds of “preventing humanitarian organizations form delivering aid to residents and medical points, banning all kinds of communication media, and forcing young men to sport their beards and join the ranks of the organization.”
However, the most important reason of families’ displacement, according to the speaker, is the heavy bombardment by the international coalition forces of Al-Raqqa governorate as well as the anticipated battles between ISIS and “Syrian Democratic Forces”, which already started in the countryside, after International Coalition war planes dropped paper slips on Al-Raqqa, warning citizens to leave the city.
It has been also reported that ISIS started transporting the families of its fighters to safer areas in Deir al-zour and bringing extra forces, called “Ansar”, and heavy military vehicles in anticipation of the possible battle against the Kurdish militias. Ammunition and weapons were also moved to warehouses outside the city for fear of being targeted by coalition air forces.