The Assad regime’s escalating of indiscriminate attacks on rebel-held areas are forcing increasing number of Syrians to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring countries, Spokesman for the National Coalition Salem al-Meslet said.
“More than four million Syrians have now fled war and persecution and become refugees in neighboring countries, making the Syrian conflict the UN refugee agency’s worst crisis for almost a quarter of a century,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
“The four million figure is made up of 1.8 million in Turkey, 250,000 in Iraq, 630,000 in Jordan, 133,000 in Egypt, 1.1 million in Lebanon, and 24,000 elsewhere in North Africa,” the UNHCR added.
The refugee crisis can only be solved through addressing its root cause, which is Assad’s non-stop barrel bombing of civilians across Syria. The outflow of refugees can be considerably curbed through the establishment of no-fly zones in northern and southern Syria to serve as safe havens for children and women while the battle against the Assad regime is concluded.
In addition to the millions who have fled Syria, 7.6 million have been displaced inside the war-torn country, “many of them in difficult circumstances and in locations that are difficult to reach”, UNHCR said. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
