Nearly 875,000 people displaced by Russian-backed Syrian offensive: U.N.

AMMAN (Reuters) – Nearly 875,000 Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against the rebel-held northwest since early December, including over 40,000 in the last four days alone, the United Nations said on Monday.

David Swanson, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the latest displacement to areas near the border with Turkey came from western Aleppo province, the scene of heavy fighting in recent days. Half a million of those fleeing in the last 10 weeks were children, the U.N. official added.