The United Nations has expressed concern over the situation of hundreds of people in Syria, calling on all parties involved in the crisis in the Arab country to “ensure the protection of civilians.”

“People have suffered enough,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said on Tuesday.

The UN senior official went on to say that insecurity in the Middle Eastern country has adversely affected efforts to provide the Syrian people with life-saving assistance.
“I remind all parties to the conflict of their obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law, and their responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians,” Amos said.
She further noted, “I join UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in strongly condemning the attacks against civilians in Aleppo and in many other parts of Syria.”

Last week, the UN chief voiced grave concern about the use of heavy weapons and mortar shelling in the Syrian crisis, particularly in the northern Syrian city Aleppo.

The foreign-backed militants operating in Syria have in the past repeatedly targeted civilian areas with rockets. They also used residential areas as human shields against the Syrian army.

On December 21, at least three people were killed and several others wounded after foreign-backed militants fired mortar shells at residential areas in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus and the western city of Homs.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights with close links to the foreign-backed militants said on December 22 that at least 25 people have lost their lives in an air raid on Aleppo.

Syria has been gripped by deadly crisis since 2011. According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting militants operating inside the country.

The United Nations has said that more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced so far due to the turmoil in the country.

The UN also says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the nation.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced in 2014.

By Press TV

 

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