Red Cross: Violence in Syria at highest level since late 2016
dpa
GENEVA (dpa)- Civilian casualties in Syria have been mounting in the past two weeks, as fighting intensifies to the highest level since last year's battle for Aleppo, the Red Cross said Thursday.
“While recent months had provided some reasons to be hopeful, the return to violence is once again bringing intolerable levels of suffering to wide areas of the country," said Marianne Gasser, who heads the Red Cross delegation in Syria.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that violence is not limited to areas where the Russian air force and US-led coalition planes have been separately fighting Islamic State extremists, such as Deir al-Zour, western rural Aleppo and al-Raqqa.
In addition, fighting has been taking place in areas that were supposed to benefit from de-escalation agreements, such as Idlib, rural Hama, and Eastern Ghouta.
Violence in Syria mounted last year during the battle for Aleppo, which ended in December when Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, took over the major city from opposition fighters.
The violence makes it hard for aid agencies to reach civilians, and it has destroyed key civilian infrastructure.
Hundreds of thousands have been cut off from health care, as up to 10 hospitals were destroyed in the past 10 days, according to the Red Cross.
The fighting has overwhelmed aid agencies as more than 1,000 people per day have been arriving in internal refugee camps around al-Raqqa in north-eastern Syria and Deir al-Zour in the east.
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In addition, fighting has been taking place in areas that were supposed to benefit from de-escalation agreements, such as Idlib, rural Hama, and Eastern Ghouta.
Violence in Syria mounted last year during the battle for Aleppo, which ended in December when Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, took over the major city from opposition fighters.
The violence makes it hard for aid agencies to reach civilians, and it has destroyed key civilian infrastructure.
Hundreds of thousands have been cut off from health care, as up to 10 hospitals were destroyed in the past 10 days, according to the Red Cross.
The fighting has overwhelmed aid agencies as more than 1,000 people per day have been arriving in internal refugee camps around al-Raqqa in north-eastern Syria and Deir al-Zour in the east.
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