Syrian government forces have ousted rebel fighters from a key district in the city of Aleppo after days of clashes. The rebels say they were forced to pull out of the area of Salaheddin after coming under heavy fire. In a statement earlier today, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that there “will be no winner in Syria,” only “the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying Syria’s rich tapestry of interwoven communities.” Earlier today, a spokesperson for the U.N. High Commission for Refugees said the number of Syrians fleeing into neighboring countries remains on the rise.
Adrian Edwards: “UNHCR’s offices in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq are all reporting increases this week in the number of refugees from Syria. Our data, which primarily reflects the number of people who have registered or are in the process of being registered, shows a total population of 146,667 people as of yesterday evening. In several countries, we know there to be substantial refugee numbers, but these people have not yet registered. In Turkey, the refugee population has now exceeded 50,000 people with more than 6,000 new arrivals recorded this week, many of these from Aleppo and surrounding villages.”