Raqqa

More aid is getting through to civilians caught up in the Syrian war, but there’s been a worrying escalation in the number of attacks against them and humanitarian workers that must stop, a senior UN adviser said on Thursday.

Jan Egeland told journalists in Geneva that up to nine million Syrians receive aid every month in one of the largest humanitarian operations in a generation.

But he said that most of those living under siege could not be reached.

Daniel Johnson has more.

Duration: 2'15"

ISIL or Daesh fighters in two key Syrian towns are nearing defeat and when that happens it could be the “moment of truth” for the future of the country, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday.

Speaking in Geneva, the veteran negotiator said that Deir-ez-Zour was essentially liberated from the extremists.

Raqqa, Mr de Mistura added, was only days or at most, weeks away from freedom.

Needs are “beyond belief” for thousands of civilians trapped by ISIL fighters in the Syrian city of Raqqa, a senior aid official said on Thursday.

Jan Egeland, who’s Special Advisor to the UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, made the comments after a meeting of an internationally-backed humanitarian task force in Geneva.

Up to 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the former Daesh, or ISIL, terrorist stronghold of Raqqa, with “no way for them to get out.”

That’s the chilling assessment of the Assistant Secretary-General for the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, briefing the Security Council on latest developments in Syria.

Matt Wells has more on Thursday's meeting.

Duration: 2'31"