Refugee arrivals to Iraq see a surge amidst military operations: UN

In a statement, the United Nations claimed that the number of Syrian refugees crossing the border into Iraq has significantly increased in recent days after the anti-Kurd Turkish offensive in the area. According to reports, a total of 180,000 people have been displaced in northeastern Syria due to the military operations. The Bardash Camp, located in Duhok which has recently been re-opened witnesses a surge in refugee arrivals every day. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, a representative of the UN Secretary-General while expressing her concern about the increasing number of refugees said that the camp will soon reach its maximum capacity of 11,000. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) has so far supplied meals to support 8,850 newly-arrived Syrian refugees in the camp. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the key water station is now inoperable due to power line damage, and at least four medical facilities are reported to be affected. After returning from a visit to Syria's northeast, Iman Riza, who heads up the UNHCR in the country, said that successful water restoration will avert a more serious humanitarian problem for residents in the area. 

“The Alouk water station, which serves nearly half a million people in Al-Hassakeh city and the surrounding displacement camps, has been out of service for the past ten days” the Office explained, "But with help from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), together with water and electricity experts, temporary repairs mean that safe water is flowing again."

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The UN agencies were providing basic services in the camp which included tents, food, and core relief items such as mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits. The UN and partners are also scaling up life-saving assistance, despite ongoing security roadblocks. Efforts are underway to provide essential services, in preparation for the onset of winter. 

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'Syrian forces to clear out border'

After signing the peace truce with the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 20 that he still wants the Syrian government forces to clear out the border areas near Turkey for the settlement of nearly 2 million refugees. This will be the main agenda to be discussed next week between President Erdogan and Syria's ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The arrangements between the Turkey-Syria border were disturbed when the United States President, Donald Trump ordered the US troops to leave the North Syrian border and instead guard their American boundaries. Soon after the shift in policy by the US, President Erdogan had launched a military operation in Northeastern Syria to clear out the “terrorist forces”. On further criticism by the European countries, Turkey also threatened to send millions of refugees.

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