BEIRUT: UN officials say some 100,000 people are 鈥渢rapped鈥� in rural areas of Syria鈥檚 northern Afrin district and need humanitarian aid after Turkish and allied Syrian forces drove out a Syrian Kurdish militia.
Spokeswoman Marixie Mercado of children鈥檚 agency UNICEF says it hasn鈥檛 been able to deliver health and nutrition supplies to the district in 20 days, and water trucks have stopped deliveries since Thursday.
UNICEF estimates 50,000 children are among those who need humanitarian aid in Afrin.
On Twitter, Syria country representative Sajjad Malik of the UN refugee agency wrote Tuesday that 鈥渓ooting, destruction of properties & exodus of civilians continues鈥� in Afrin, and 鈥�100,000 civilians stay trapped inside in rural areas.鈥�
Earlier, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, raised doubts about Turkish aid efforts in Afrin, saying 鈥渢he credibility of the Turkish Red Crescent working in Afrin with the Kurdish population is close to zero.鈥�
Turkey鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said Maurer鈥檚 statement was 鈥渇ar from truth and inacceptable.鈥�