The international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has called for a cease-fire in Syria on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha at the end of October, according to a statement released Monday by his spokesman. Brahimi, who was Sunday in Tehran as part of a regional tour, called on Iranian authorities to assist with the implementation of a cease-fire in Syria during the Eid al-Adha, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the number of Syrians who fled the civil war in their country and took refuge in Turkey has exceeded 100,000, it was announced Monday by a Turkish official source. In total, 100,363 refugees reside in 13 camps scattered throughout the provinces of southeastern Turkey, bordering Syria, said the Turkish statement.
The bloody conflict in Syria entered its 20th month on Monday with heavy fighting between insurgents and soldiers throughout the country, with no end in sight.
According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), more than 33,000 people have died since March 15, 2011 in Syria, while some 340,000 people have fled to neighboring countries and about two million have been displaced within the country and need help, according to the UN.
After another day of bloody violence in which 150 people, mostly civilians, were killed Sunday according to the SOHR, insurgents and soldiers continue to fight on three main fronts: Province of Damascus, Aleppo (north) and Idleb (northwest).
At the northern entrance of Aleppo, once the economic powerhouse of the country but devastated by three months of fierce battle, the rebels have stepped up their attacks, killing eight soldiers in an attack against a checkpoint, according to the SOHR.
