Syrian Survivors Find Hope and Help as Operation Blessing Partners with Kurdish Relief Agency

QAMISHLI, Northeast Syria - Turkey's invasion of northern Syria has created a humanitarian crisis here. But CBN's Operation Blessing is on the scene, working with a Kurdish relief agency to help thousands of families with essential supplies.

Talk of a 5-day pause in the fighting here is doing little to calm Mohammed Suleiman's nerves. Chaos was unleashed upon Ras Al-Ayn on Wednesday as Turkish-backed jihadists made a new push to take control of the strategic town.

"I'm so old I don't even remember how long I've lived there, maybe 30, maybe 40 years. I cannot believe what's happening in my hometown," Suleiman said.

Some 300,000 Syrian Kurds have been on the move since Turkey's invasion last Wednesday, most escaping with little more than the clothes on their back. 

Ali, a 31-year-old Syrian refugee from Derik, told us, "People in Syria are suffering a lot, because the Americans sold us for half a pound, and the Russians sold us as well. Why must only Kurds be subject to genocide always?"

CBN's Operation Blessing is partnering with Kurdish relief agency Barzani Charity Foundation to help thousands of families with essential supplies.

Karzan Noori with the Barzani Charity Foundation said, "Since yesterday, we have distributed 5,000 food parcels, 20,000 blankets, 5,000 hygiene kits, hundreds of thousands of liters of water, baby formula with baby diapers."

Within hours of Turkey's invasion, Barzani Charity Foundation initially thought about setting up two positions right on the Syrian-Iraqi border thinking that all of these Syrian Kurds would come to the center looking for help. They didn't. So, instead, they decided to come right into the conflict zone, and right here, into Syria.

In Hasakah, close to the fighting, all of the city's 40 schools are now shelters for those escaping the fighting. This week, Operation Blessing and Barzani Charity Foundation took urgent supplies to several of the schools.

Leila Ismail Mohammed, a refugee from Derik, said, "While the majority of the international NGO's have left, you came bringing your aid and that gives me hope that there are people who still care for us."

Thirty semi-trucks filled with critical supplies made the dangerous journey close to northeast Syria's frontlines delivering much-needed relief and hope. Despite the risks, Barzani Charity Foundation says it will be the first of many such trips to the area.

"We are ready to repeat it and repeat it and repeat it in the future," said Karzan Noori with the Barzani Charity Foundation.

If you'd like to join the effort to help Syrian refugees, you can donate to Operation Blessing's Disaster Relief Fund by calling 800-700-7000 or texting "OBRefugee" to 71777. You can also CLICK HERE to find out how you can help.