UN says 134,000 displaced in northeast Syria after clashes

More than 134,000 people have been displaced in northeast Syria, the United Nations migration agency said Thursday, after clashes and a fragile ceasefire deal between government and Kurdish-led forces.

In the past three days, the number of internally displaced people in Hassakeh province "has increased to approximately 134,803 individuals" compared to 5,725 recorded on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.

Syria's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed a fresh four-day ceasefire on Tuesday evening after the army sent reinforcements to Hassakeh province, the Kurds' stronghold in the northeast.

Under military and political pressure from Damascus, which is seeking to extend its control across the country, the SDF has relinquished swathes of territory in recent days and withdrawn to parts of Hassakeh province.

"Displacement during this period reflects concerns of potential clashes between the SDF and government forces, particularly among those residing near SDF prisons and military headquarters," the IOM added.

It said more than 41,000 people were in collective shelters in Hassakeh province and "are in urgent need of food" and other basic items such as mattresses and blankets.

It also said some 1,647 people were also displaced in Aleppo province's Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane, where residents told AFP that they lacked food, water and power.

People displaced from nearby areas were heading into the Kurdish-held enclave, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Hassakeh.

On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that had included a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurds' administration into the state, after government troops advanced.

The push began earlier this month, with government forces driving Kurdish fighters from parts of Aleppo city and province.

They went on to take control of Raqa and Deir Ezzor, which the Kurds had seized as they battled Islamic State group jihadists with backing from a US-led coalition.

(AFP)