Around 140,000 children displaced in past three weeks in and around Idlib: UNICEF

Amid ongoing violence in Syria's Idlib, UNICEF on Friday lamented about 1,40,000 children who have been displaced in the ongoing clash in the northwest part of the war-torn country.

"Each day, nearly 4,500 children are forced to flee their homes, with many having been displaced multiple times already. At least 140,000 children have been displaced in the past three weeks alone because of heavy violence in and around Idlib in the northwest, said Henrietta Fore Executive Director of UNICEF in a statement.

Last week, the United Nations had said that over 235,000 people fled the Idlib region in the last two weeks after Russia and Syria launched airstrikes in a bid to take over the last major opposition bastion.

Since mid-December last year, Russia backed Syria government launched a fresh assault to capture the province.

Syrian Bashar al-Assad regime, backed by Iran, has reportedly promised to take back the rebel-controlled area and broke a ceasefire that was announced in August.

They have since December 19 seized dozens of towns and villages from armed fighters amid clashes that have killed hundreds on both sides.