Soldiers are seen in a Turkish armored vehicle in Afrin, Syria, on Jan. 22, 2018. (Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations relief wing on Tuesday expressed concern over fighting in Syria's Afrin District, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at a daily news briefing.
"The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is deeply concerned by reports of fighting and military operations in Afrin District in northwest Syria near the Syria-Turkish border," Dujarric said.
According to Dujarric, there are 324,000 people, including 126,000 displaced ones, living in the district, and a number of civilians have reportedly been killed by shelling and fighting over the past few days.
"While the majority of bombardment has been reported to be concentrated on communities close to the Syrian-Turkish border, airstrikes on Afrin town and surrounding communities have also been reported. We have also received reports of cross-border shelling from Syria into Turkey," he said.
An estimated 5,000 people from the border communities close to Afrin District have reportedly been displaced to nearby villages. Another 1,000 have reportedly been displaced to Aleppo city neighborhoods.
On January 20, UN cross-border shipments from Turkey were temporarily put on hold because of the security situation.
"This has impacted 123 truckloads of UN shipments, comprising food, shelter and health assistance, that were planned for Syria this week," said Dujarric.
"The UN urges all parties, and those with influence over them, to ensure the protection of civilians, and to allow sustained and unhindered access by all humanitarian parties to provide life-saving assistance to all in need," the spokesperson concluded.