Syrian civilians flee from fighting in the northwestern city of Idlib on Feb. 14, 2013.
Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:55AM GMT
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The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the plight of
civilians in Syria has reached catastrophic levels, stressing that it
will continue humanitarian operations in the Arab country.
"After two years with no end to the military conflict, the situation of the civilian population has reached nothing short of catastrophic," Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations, said on Friday.
"I've come back from Syria convinced that we must expand operations in coming weeks and months…," Pierre added.
Kraehenbuehl also said that medical services had turned into a "wasteland" in many parts of Syria, adding that displaced families were forced to change location repeatedly, and water and food supplies were under constant threat.
The ICRC official went on to say that crisscrossing the frontline between government and militant areas is a major problem for aid operations.
"Syria is not a case where you can map out a frontline easily. It shifts," Kraehenbuehl said.
The ICRC has been providing support for some1.5 million Syrians, via the Syrian Red Crescent.
According to the United Nations, nearly 70,000 people have been killed in 22 months of conflict between the Syrian government forces and the foreign-backed opposition groups.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.
Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.
YH/HN
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