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Alarm over situation in Syrian town of Qusayr
Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern for the safety of the remaining civilian population as well as wounded and captured fighters on all sides.
Syrian rebels braced for a new assault on their beleaguered stronghold of Qusayr by the army and its Hezbollah allies.
International aid organisations have stepped up calls for civilians trapped in the flashpoint Syrian city of Qusayr to be evacuated, as rebel fighters faced a fresh assault from government forces.
UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed to both sides in the fighting to let the civilians, including an estimated 1,500 wounded, leave the embattled town.
Qusayr is normally home to about 30,000 people.
Britain on Saturday circulated a draft declaration at the UN Security Council, voicing "grave concern about the situation in Qusayr".
Russia, however, blocked the draft because the UN had failed to speak out when Qusayr was seized by rebels more than a year ago.
The regime's military campaign on Qusayr started two weeks ago, in an attempt to regain control of the strategic city bordering Lebanon. It is believed that Hezbollah has sent an estimated 1,700 fighters to support the regime's assault.
On Sunday, government fighter jets launched 10 airstrikes on the rebel-held areas of the city.
Regime forces have recently captured the northern district of Arjun in Qusayr, leaving rebels little chance to escape.
Activists said that escape routes for civilians have become unsafe. They reported this week that a a convoy of civilians seeking to flee Qusayr was attacked by Syrian forces.
UN emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said there was "an urgent need of immediate evacuation for emergency medical treatment".
But a humanitarian corridor could only be created if both sides agreed, Rupert Colville, a spokesperson Pillay said.
Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern for the safety of the remaining civilian population as well as wounded and captured fighters on all sides.
Opposition activists from al-Qusayr told Human Rights Watch that approximately 8,000 civilians and another 1,200 wounded were in need of urgent assistance in al-Qusayr and nearby Eastern Buwayda and Dab'a amid intense shelling. These numbers cannot be confirmed as no independent nongovernment organizations currently have access to the area. Human Rights Watch urged the Syrian government to grant humanitarian agencies immediate access to treat the wounded and evacuate civilians.
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As the above shows,these terrorists gave been using populated houses as human shields,i repeat is against the Geneva Convension,but for 2 years, the Red Cross and other orgaisations did not bother to report this.As usual now as the town is falling back to the government forces, now the have woken up.Shame on these suppost protectors.
