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February 29, 2012

U.N.: Syria Uprising Toll Passes 7,500 
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Syrian forces have launched a ground attack on the embattled city of
Homs today after a nearly month-long siege. The neighborhood of Baba Amr
reportedly came under heavy shelling overnight before Syrian troops
swept in. The latest violence comes as the United Nations now says more
than 7,500 people have been killed in the Assad regime's crackdown on
the nearly year-long uprising. 
U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe announced
the new death toll figure in comments before the U.N. Security Council.

Lynn Pascoe: "The disproportionate use of force and military aggression
against the civilian population by authorities has driven the largely
peaceful opposition forces to resort to armed resistance. While we can
not give exact casualty figures, there are credible reports that the
death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women
and children. The total killed so far is certainly well over 7,500
people."



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