Activists say Syrian rebel fighters have attacked several security compounds in the northern city of Aleppo as clashes continued in other areas of the war-torn country.
The Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that one of the assaults in Aleppo sparked a firefight that killed and wounded a number of government troops. It gave no figures.
Last month, rebel forces took control of parts of Syria's commercial hub, sparking fierce fighting there.
Also Friday, the monitoring group said government troops and rebels were locked in battle north of the capital, Damascus, and in Albu Kamal, on the Iraqi border. Internet video appeared to show fighting in Homs, Daraa and Damascus.
The UNHCR says more Syrians are fleeing as violence increases. Most are heading to the following countries:
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Jordan: 150,000 refugees
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Turkey: 70,000 refugees
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Lebanon: More than 35,000 refugees
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Iraq: 12,000 registered refugees
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Algeria: 10-25,000 refugees
source: UNHCR
On Thursday, Syria's neighbors - seeking to assist more than 200,000 war refugees - asked the United Nations Security Council for urgent help in coping with the growing humanitarian crisis.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the 15-nation council his government has already spent more than $300 million to build 11 refugee camps. He said Turkey, already home to 80,000 Syrian refugees, can only handle 20,000 more.
Davutoglu also cited data showing 2 million displaced people inside Syria. He urged the world body to establish a buffer zone that guarantees protection for those forced to flee the carnage.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh also pleaded for help, telling the council his country has limited means to deal with the more than 70,000 refugees inside its borders.
Meanwhile,
Human Rights Watch said Thursday Syrian jets and artillery have struck at least 10 bakeries in Aleppo in the last three weeks, killing dozens of people as they waited in line to buy bread. HRW is accusing the military of targeting civilians.
The U.S.-based group said the attacks were either aimed or were executed without care to avoid the hundreds of civilians forced to stand outside a dwindling number of bakeries in Syria's biggest city, a front line in the civil war.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
Timeline of Syrian Unrest
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