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Tuesday, Sep 4, 2012 10:56 PM UTC

100,000 fled from Syria in past month

The mass exodus suggests that the situation in Syria is deteriorating

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Topics: Big story you missed, Syria, Middle East, Conflict, Bashar al-Assad,

100,000 fled from Syria in past month

The United Nations released a report today confirming that 100,000 Syrians fled from their homes in August alone. The New York Times reported:

The surge coincided with a sharp increase in the carnage in Syria, as the government of President Bashar al-Assad began using its air force against towns and neighborhoods across the country where opponents of his rule have found support. The resulting flood of displaced people, mainly in the last two weeks of August, accounted for more than 40 percent of the 234,000 refugees who have registered for United Nations support since the fighting began. Tens of thousands more have fled but have not registered.

“It’s quite an astonishing number,” Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, told reporters on Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. She said it indicated “a very precarious and violent situation inside the country.”

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com. More Prachi Gupta.

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