Syrians flee border town for fear of Turkish assault

Syrians in the northeastern town of Al-Darbasiyah near the Turkish border are fleeing their homes in large numbers for fear of a Turkish assault, a war monitor reported Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the entire town, located in the countryside of Hasakah Province in northeastern Syria, has become empty with its residents fleeing to the provincial capital of Hasakah.

Al-Darbasiyah is a Syrian town on the Syrian-Turkish border opposite the Turkish town of Senyurt.

The mass evacuation comes amid the Turkish military assault against the Kurdish militia that has been continuing in northern and northeastern Syria since Oct. 9.

On Thursday, the United States, which backs the Kurdish militia, reached a cease-fire agreement with Turkey, under which Turkey agreed to observe a five-day truce until the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from certain border areas where Turkey is trying to create a safe zone.

On Monday, a day before the end of the cease-fire, the Observatory said the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels continued to violate the deal.

The Observatory said 300,000 civilians have been displaced since Oct. 9, adding the battles and shelling in the region have claimed the lives of 120 civilians.