Syria refugees being targeted, says UN

GENEVA— The UN refugee agency said Friday that armed groups are attacking Syrian civilians as they try to flee to Jordan to escape the conflict in their country. The agency appealed to all sides in the fighting to allow them safe passage.

Hospitals in Jordan are receiving injured Syrian refugees every day, some with gunshot wounds sustained as they made their escape, said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Not only are they being caught in the crossfire, they are actually being targeted,” Fleming said, declining to identify whether pro-government or rebel forces were responsible.

The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs chief, Valerie Amos, on a visit to Syrian refugees in Jordan earlier this week, said Syria had fired mortars near the border with Jordan to stop them from crossing.

Some 2,000 Syrians are escaping daily to neighbouring countries and nearly 12,000 reached the Zaatri camp in Jordan in November, according to the refugee agency.