Fighting in Syria rages on as refugee numbers plummet

Syrian forces pounded rebel hubs in the northern city of Aleppo and battled opposition fighters around Damascus yesterday, activists said, as the UN reported a surge in the number of people fleeing.

Violence was also reported in other towns and villages across the country, with the bloodletting showing no signs of any let-up a day after the United Nations formally called time on its observer mission.

Despite the imminent departure of the observers, the UN announced that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will take over as international envoy from Kofi Annan, who quit earlier this month.

“The violence and the suffering in Syria must come to an end,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement announcing the appointment.

However, adding to fears the fighting could ensnare Syria’s neighbours, the US warned its nationals they could be at risk in Lebanon, where the security situation is already fragile after a wave of kidnappings linked to Syria.

On the ground, at least 72 people were killed as the regime continued its onslaught yesterday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a watchdog that has a network of activists on the ground.

The army clashed with rebels near the main military airport in Damascus and shelled southern parts of the capital as well as areas of the commercial city of Aleppo and the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Observatory said.

Deadly violence was also reported in the provinces of Homs and Daraa, the cradle of the uprising that began with peaceful protests in March last year but has escalated into an increasingly vicious battle between armed rebels and government forces.

Opposition factions also reported that 65 bodies had been found dumped on a rubbish tip in a town near Damascus.