In Syria, our worst fears are being realized.

In the northeast, over 151,000 people have already been forced to flee their homes, including at least 70,000 children. If airstrikes and ground attacks continue, a further 200,000 could be displaced.

Since the military offensive began on October 9, three innocent children have been killed and 31 injured. All told, 70 civilians have died and 188 have been wounded, according to local organizations on the ground. And while a temporary ceasefire was announced, clashes continue in Ras Al Ain today.

The IRC is providing lifesaving aid to many of the people who are fleeing the offensive. In Raqqa, we are providing health care, ready-to-eat food and legal support. In other areas where people have fled, we are providing emergency medical care at health care centers and via our mobile medical clinics.

The IRC has been on the ground in Syria since 2012 and with your support, we will continue to provide families throughout the country with the services they desperately need.

I hope you will continue to hold Syrians in your thoughts – and stay tuned for more ways to help.

We need to remember these are individual people whose lives are in jeopardy. Although it is understood that in some locations people have now left the schools and mosques in which they initially sought shelter, there are still around 8,000 people living in these collective shelters because they have no other place to go. There are also scores of people clustering in open areas, often by the side of the road. Civilians are reportedly staying in cars, trucks, makeshift shelters or simply out in the open, which will put them at great risk as winter weather arrives.

Others are fleeing to Raqqa, a city devastated by the fight against ISIS. It is still barely safe for civilians as it remains littered with unexploded mines, and lacking in basic services such as electricity and housing. Some people have been relocated to camps which are already overstretched.

This is a rapidly escalating disaster and many of these families have already been displaced multiple times.

We are going to need your help to assist in every way possible.

Sincerely,

David Miliband
President and CEO
International Rescue Committee



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