“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received reports over the past two days that indicate that more than 3,000 families have been displaced from around 30 villages around Latakia city in Syria,” Eduardo del Buey, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said in a statement released on Monday.

The statement added that the Syrian government has set up three shelters for the displaced people, “But reports indicate that 80 percent of the displaced people are staying with relatives and host communities inside Latakia city.”

It also noted that “UN agencies and humanitarian partners are working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide aid.”

Last week, foreign-sponsored militants fighting against the Syrian government attacked three villages in the countryside of Latakia.

Over the past few days, Syrian forces have killed scores of Takfiri militants -- mostly foreign mercenaries -- in Latakia.

On Sunday, Syrian Army troops killed two leaders of the foreign-backed militants, Abu Zaid al-Almani and Abu Malik al-Shahri, in the coastal province.

On August 9, a Syrian security source said that the army troops killed a group of extremist militants in the village of Dourin, which is located in a suburb of Latakia.

There were a number of Libyan and Moroccan nationals among those killed during heavy clashes with the Syrian soldiers, the source added.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly foreign-backed insurgency since 2011.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions of others displaced in the violence.

Reports indicate that Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

SHI/SHI