Turkish aid agency sets up tent camp in Syria's Idlib

A Turkish aid agency has set up an accommodation center in northern Syria's Idlib for Syrians fleeing the ongoing violence and airstrikes in eastern Hama, a foundation official said Friday. The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH), one of Turkey's leading aid groups, has already completed building the center in Kafar Lousin village.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Hatay, the agency's media adviser Selim Tosun said 200 families were already in the tent camp."Families coming [to the area] went through health screening at a mobile health center. A [mobile] school was also established for the children," he said, adding that water tankers were in place to meet the need for clean drinking water.

Tosun said the children were obviously traumatized following the bombardment that they have witnessed.

"There were some children, who fled to their tents after getting scared by the sound of an electricity generator that we used," he said.

The İHH also plans to set up new tent camps in Babushka region, near Idlib.

The Turkish Red Crescent has been setting up tents for Syrians who have fled their homes. The Red Crescent plans to set up 500 tents in the region of Kelbit north of Sarmanda, and has already completed setting up 100.

In addition to the İHH and the Turkish Red Crescent, Turkey Diyanet Foundation has also set up some 1,000 tents in northern Idlib for Syrians fleeing violence in Hama.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. This led to a military conflict between the Syrian opposition groups and the Assad regime over the war-torn country's territory.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, mainly in regime airstrikes targeting opposition-held areas, while millions more have been displaced.

During the conflict, different international actors have accused the Assad regime of using chemical weapons against civilians.