Syrian As Suqaylabiyah Town Took In 4,000 IDPs From Idlib Province - Town Elder

As Suqaylabiyah town in Syria's western Hama province has accepted around 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the neighboring Idlib province that remains under militants control, a town elder said on Tuesday.

AS SUQAYLABIYAH (Syria) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 21st August, 2018) As Suqaylabiyah town in Syria's western Hama province has accepted around 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the neighboring Idlib province that remains under militants control, a town elder said on Tuesday.

"We have already taken in 4,000 people and are ready to accept more people," Mihyed Hanna said.

He noted that the situation in the town had stabilized recently and the shelling in the area stopped, so the authorities had been actively rebuilding residential quarters of As Suqaylabiyah.

Electric power and water supply are secured in the town, the elder added.

Moreover, a hospital with 120 beds is operational in As Suqaylabiyah. High-skilled medics are providing assistance to local residents and IDPs. The medical staff there is very experienced. Many of the doctors took their studies in the former Soviet Union.

Security in As Suqaylabiyah is being maintained by the Syrian army and a self-defense unit, comprising around 700 people.

Despite the fact that the majority of the town residents are Orthodox Christians, the settlement is ready to accept anyone regardless of their confession, according to Hanna.

Idlib is one of the Syrian areas where terrorists and militants, particularly those who are part of the Jabhat Nusra terror group (banned in Russia) or affiliated with it, are active. Moreover, thousands of militants have been transported to the province from other Syrian regions under deals with Damascus.

The Syrian army, supported by the Russian forces, has organized a humanitarian corridor in the area, allowing civilians to leave Idlib for the territories under the Syrian governments control. The IDPs are resettled in As Suqaylabiyah, in the Hirjillah camp near Damascus and other settlements.

Syria has been mired in a civil war for years. The situation in the country is being deteriorated by the activities of terrorists, who once held control over vast territories of the middle Eastern state. However, the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad have managed to recapture most of the territories from terrorists over the past years with the support of the Russian forces.

Rebuilding and reconstruction efforts are underway in the country as thousands of people are returning to their homes in Syria.