(MENAFN- QNA) The United Nations human rights office has voiced its grave concern for the safety of civilians caught up in the ongoing offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the northern Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed its alarm over the situation, noting that the reported intensification of indiscriminate shelling by ISIL of various parts of the town of Ayn al-Arab has caused 10,000 civilians who had remained in the border area to cross into Turkey on Sunday and Monday.
"Up until 3 or 4 days ago, there were still some 10,000 civilians who had not yet crossed into Turkey, and although most have now done so, some may still remain," OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva.
"Nevertheless we remain hugely concerned for the safety of any civilians remaining in Kobane or in the border area near the town, as well as in surrounding villages. We believe the numbers are now, at most, in the hundreds - maybe fewer," said Colville.
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