The U.N. humanitarian chief Friday reiterated the organization's commitment to continue its relief operations inside Syria, as well as in neighboring countries, adding that protecting civilians is paramount amid the spiraling violence. "Syria and its neighboring countries are going through a humanitarian crisis on a scale we have rarely seen," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos told reporters in New York in a teleconference from Beirut, Lebanon. "The fighting is having a terrible impact on ordinary people. Neighborhoods have been shelled indiscriminately and entire towns have been besieged." Amos, who just returned from a visit to Syria, stressed that despite the "very difficult and dangerous conditions," humanitarian aid organizations are committed to continuing their work. The United Nations currently has some 4,500 staff in Syria working with non-governmental and community organizations to help people who need it the most in both government and opposition-controlled areas.
