UN: 229000 Syrians fled to neighbouring countries

The number of Syrians seeking refuge in neighbouring countries is “growing rapidly” every day and a total of 229,000 Syrians have so far registered as refugees in Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said Thursday. Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN refugee agency, told the UN Security Council that the armed conflict in Syria has led to a “dramatic and deepening humanitarian crisis” for the region. The UN said an estimated 2.5 million Syrians have become affected by the intensified fighting inside their country. It said an appeal for 180 million dollars to assist the Syrians had received only half of that amount while the humanitarian situation is worsening. The UN asked the Syrian government to urgently allowed relief organizations to enter the country so they could deliver aid to those in need.