{{The number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now topped the one million mark, the United Nations’ refugee agency said Wednesday.}}<\/p>\n
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said in a statement released in Geneva that the figure is based on reports from his agency’s field offices in neighboring countries that have provided refuge for Syrians escaping the civil war.<\/p>\n
“With a million people in flight, millions more displaced internally, and thousands of people continuing to cross the border every day, Syria is spiraling towards full-scale disaster,” Guterres said.<\/p>\n
Syria’s uprising began in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian rule. <\/p>\n
When the government cracked down on demonstrators, the opposition took up arms and the conflict turned into a full-blown civil war. <\/p>\n
The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 people have been killed.<\/p>\n
The relentless violence also has devastated many cities and forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to seek refuge abroad.<\/p>\n
Guterres said the number of refugees has swelled dramatically this year, with most Syrians pouring into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. <\/p>\n
More than 400,000 people have become refugees since Jan. 1, and often arrive in neighboring countries “traumatized, without possessions and having lost members of their families,” he said.<\/p>\n
Around half are children; the majority under age 11.<\/p>\n
AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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