June 12, 2012 - 5:59 PM
The U.N.'s peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous says the violence in Syria has escalated into civil war.
Ladsous, asked in an interview whether Syria was in a civil war, told Reuters and AFP on Tuesday, "Yes, I think one can say that," his spokesman confirmed.
Kieran Dwyer, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping department, says U.N. observers have seen a steep escalation of violence and a dangerous shift in tactics by both sides in Syria in the last five days.
The Syrian government seems intent on wresting back control of many rebel-held areas and is shelling heavily populated districts and using attack helicopters over cities "with devastating impact on civilians," Dwyer said.
In turn, the opposition is increasingly co-ordinating attacks against government forces and civilian infrastructure, and "the conflict has reached all parts of Syria virtually," Dwyer said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012