IDLIB, Syria

Turkish humanitarian organization IHH has given winter aid to 1,200 Syrian families who live in refugee camps, an official said on Friday.

Selim Tosun, the organization's media manager for Syria, told Anadolu Agency that the IHH provided supplies to the displaced people affected by the recent extreme weather in the north of Aleppo.

Snowstorm and heavy downpour in the cities of Azaz, Afrin and Al-Bab, among others, damaged displacement sites, tents and people’s belongings.

"In the first phase, tents were set up for families exposed to the cold, and we are continuing to provide and deliver new tents," Tosun said.

"Our teams have also been delivering food parcels, heaters, fuel, mattresses, winter clothes, blankets, shoes and bread to civilians living in the camps," he added.

The Istanbul-based charity has been carrying out aid projects in war-torn Syria since the country’s devastating conflict began in 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

* Writing by Bassel Barakat