UN urges warring parties in Syria to allow evacuation of civilians from war-hit country

Damascus, June 18 (ANI): The UN observers chief, General Robert Mood, has urged warring parties in Syria to allow the evacuation of women, children, elderly and injured from conflict zones.

In a statement, General Mood, the head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), said that both troops of President Bashar al-Assad and rebel fighters must allow women, children, the elderly and the injured to leave conflict zones without any preconditions and ensure their safety.

"This requires willingness on both sides to respect and protect the human life of the Syrian people," the BBC quoted Mood as saying.

General Mood also admitted that attempts to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Homs had been unsuccessful.

According to The BBC, Homs has reportedly been under heavy bombardment from government forces.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that over 1,000 families in Homs had to be evacuated.

Activists said that the Khalidiyeh neighbourhood of Homs has been among the worst hit.

General Mood's demanded the rescue of civilians a day after he said the UN observers would cease operations in Syria because of the escalating violence. (ANI)