NEW YORK CITY: More than 170,000 people in northeastern Syria have been displaced this month as a result of clashes in several provinces, the UN said on Tuesday, and aid agencies are stepping up relief efforts amid a fragile security situation and the harsh winter conditions. The areas affected by the displacements since Jan. 6 include parts of Aleppo, Hasakeh and Raqqa governorates, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Several sites for displaced people are now overcrowded and the situation in Hasakeh remains volatile, he said.