REPORT: Syria death toll likely approaching 70,000, says UN rights chief

The death toll in Syria is likely approaching 70,000 with civilians paying the price for the U.N. Security Council's lack of action to end the nearly 2-year-old conflict, the U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday.   

Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, repeated her call for Syria to be referred by the 15-member council to the International Criminal Court to send a message to both parties in the conflict that there would be consequences for their actions.   

Pillay told a council debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict that the death toll in Syria was "probably now approaching 70,000."   

On Jan. 2 Pillay said more than 60,000 people had been killed during the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which began with peaceful protests but turned violent after Assad's forces tried to crush the demonstrations.


On the field:

Syrian opposition fighters captured a military airport near the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, an opposition organization said.       

The Jarrah air base, 46 kms (28 miles) east of Aleppo, came under the control of rebel units who have been surrounding it for weeks and the highway linking Aleppo to the oil producing east of the country is in opposition hands, the Sham News Network said.            

Video footage showed fighters from the Islamic Free Sham Movement inspecting the airport. Several fighters jets were shown on the ground at the airport and in concrete shelters.


REUTERS

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