Violence between government and rebel forces in Syria has intensified in recent weeks, leaving thousands dead since protests first erupted against the government in March last year.
More than 17 months of turmoil between the army and opponents of the rule of President Bashar Hafez al-Assad have left an estimated 27,000 dead, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and raised calls for Western intervention to stop the slaughter.
While U.S. President Barack Obama has indicated that the use of chemical weapons would prompt American intervention, Western powers have so far refrained from stepping into the conflict.
Russia, which supplies the Syrian government with arms, and China have vetoed three resolutions at the U.N. Security Council against Assad’s regime, arguing that both the government and rebels share blame for the violence.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
