DAMASCUS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A total of 7,000 people have fled their homes in the Ayn Issa town in the northern Syrian province Raqqa over the past month, fearing a Turkish military campaign, a war monitor reported.
The people are fleeing their homes toward the provincial capital of Raqqa as the Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebels have intensified shelling on Ayn Issa and its countryside amid reports about an imminent Turkish military offensive on that area, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based watchdog group said the Ayn Issa town, with a population of 11,000, is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and contains several bases of the Syrian army.
On Nov. 19, Turkey created a base in the countryside of Ayn Issa, further fueling the fears of the local residents.
The town has a strategic significance as it serves as a hub connecting Aleppo and Hasakah provinces through the M4 highway. It's also connected with the Tal Abyad city on the Syrian-Turkish border.
The SDF controlled the town in 2015 with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, following battles with the Islamic State (IS) militants. Enditem
