9/30/2012

Escalating attacks, but few answers in Syria

Rebel fighters hold their position 50 meters away from government troops during fighting in Aleppo on Thursday.
Rebel fighters hold their position 50 meters away from government troops during fighting in Aleppo on Thursday.
  • NEW: Sunday death toll rises at at least 23, an opposition group says
  • World has done "literally nothing" to stop carnage, opposition group says
  • At least 30,000 have died since conflict began, human rights group says

(CNN) -- Hours after world leaders created a grim picture of the Syrian war, a new wave of attacks erupted Sunday. The bloody conflict rages -- and a solution continues to be elusive.

Here is the latest in the Syrian uprising.

Shelling and deaths

At least 23 people died in shelling and attacks nationwide Sunday, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

In addition to the fatalities, eight people were found executed at a military hospital in Damascus, according to the opposition group. In another incident at a hospital in a Damascus suburb, government forces stormed the building and seized the wounded, the LCC said.

Syria state media reported that "armed terrorist groups ... perpetrated a massacre against" a village in Homs. They did not specify the number of people killed.

Government forces also targeted "terrorists and their vehicles" in the biggest city of Aleppo, state media reported.

The government has consistently referred to anti-government forces as terrorists.

Diplomatic efforts: Sympathy, but no answers

Diplomats attending the U.N. General Assembly worked the sidelines this week to seek solutions to the Syrian crisis.

"What has the international community done to stop this carnage?" Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu asked. "Literally nothing. We have yet to see a single effective action to save innocent lives."

Turkey is providing shelter for 90,000 Syrian refugees.

Germany also slammed the U.N. Security Council for failure to act. The failure has led Western and Arab nations, including the United States and Turkey, to form a "Friends of Syria" initiative.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $30 million for humanitarian aid and $15 million in non-lethal aid for communications gear and training.

Background

The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011 after unarmed protesters, inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets demanding political reform.

The movement devolved into an armed conflict after a brutal and continuing crackdown by government forces.

Since the unrest began, more than 30,000 people have died, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report.

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