Civil War In Syria -- News Updates February 13, 2014

Syria Conflict: 'Surge' In Fighting Death Toll -- BBC

Activists in Syria have reported a surge in fighting across the country, amid attempts to broker a peace deal in Geneva.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said more than 200 people had been killed every day for the past three weeks.

Both government forces and rebels were trying to gain territory, it said.

This was possibly to strengthen their negotiating position at the peace talks, it added.

The talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups are continuing in Switzerland, but there is no sign of a breakthrough.

At least 4,959 people had died in the three-week period since 22 January, the SOHR reported. About a third of the casualties were civilians, including 515 women and children.

That casualty rate was higher, the group added, than in any other three-week period since the conflict began in March 2011.

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More News On Syria's Civil War

More Syrians dying than ever before as peace talks stumble in Geneva -- Al Bawaba
Syria killing accelerates as peace talks falter -- Reuters
Surge in deaths as Syria talks founder -- Washington Post

Syria strikes kill 400 so far this month in Aleppo -- AP
Syrian Government Strikes Kill 51 as Peace Talks in Geneva Stall -- Bloomberg
Syrian troops bombard rebel stronghold of Yabroud -- BBC
Syrian planes pound rebel town near Lebanon border -- AP
Syrian army starts crucial battle against rebels -- Business Standard
Syrian Army Gains Ground In Key Region -- SKY News
Lebanese Sunnis fighting 'holy war' in Syria -- AL Jazeera
Anil Khalil Raoufi killed in Syria 'was jihadist' -- BBC

Syrians flee besieged Homs -- Deutsche Welle
U.N. Resumes Aid Mission in Homs -- Wall Street Journal
Syria ceasefire extended in Homs as talks in Geneva deadlock again -- Deutsche Welle
UN Watching Fate of 200 Men from Homs, But Powerless -- NBC
Syria conflict: Emerging from the siege of Homs -- BBC

Opposition Plan for Post-War Syria Ignores Assad -- Newsweek/Reuters
Syrian Rebels Sketch Peace Plan That Omits Demand for Assad’s Ouster -- New York Times
Syria regime refuses to discuss opposition plan -- Ma'an News Agency

U.S. and Russian Diplomats Confer With Syria Mediator -- New York Times
Russia offers alternative Syria resolution, slams West-Arab draft as helping 'military aggression' -- RT
Russian Resolution Focuses on Fighting Terror in Syria – Minister -- RIA Novosti

US ship tasked with destroying Syrian chemical arms arrives in Spain en route to Italy -- FOX News/AP
US ship stops in Spain on way to destroy Syria weapons -- AFP
US chemical arms ship arrives in Spain -- Washington Post/AP