UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — On August 5, ISIL captured the strategically important town of Al-Qaryatayn, also spelled Qaryateen, in central Syria. The operation resulted in the deaths of 40 Syrian soldiers and 27 ISIL militants, according to media reports.
“At least 3,900 families are believed to have fled escalating violence in the Syrian governorates of Homs and Hama, following the fall of the town of Al Qaryateen to ISIL [IS] insurgents,” IOM spokesperson Joel Millman said, as cited by the organization’s website.
According to the statement, IOM delivered humanitarian aid to over 400 Al-Qaryatayn refugee families in August.
Syria has seen a rise in radical ISIL militants, notorious for their cruel practices including public beheadings.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as ISIL seized vast territories in Iraq and Syria, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate in the areas under their control.
