Syria – live: Over 1 million Syrians newly displaced as US man Travis Timmerman rescued from Assad prison
At least 1.1 million people have been displaced in Syria in just two weeks since armed rebels began their offensive to wrest power from president Bashar al-Assad, the UN has said.
The majority of those displaced were women and children, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The statement comes after Syria’s caretaker prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir urged all Syrians who fled Assad’s brutal dictatorship to return and help “rebuild” the Arab nation.
Meanwhile, an American who was detained in Syria for seven months has been freed, as Syrian rebels scour areas once controlled by Assad’s now-deposed regime.
Travis Timmerman, from Missouri, was found when trying to find his own way out of Syria after being freed from a prison by Syrian rebels. He was initially mistaken by some on social media to be American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012.
Mr Timmerman was detained when he entered Syria without permission for “spiritual purposes” seven months ago, he told CBS News. He said he was freed by two armed men on Monday after a stretch in prison which “wasn’t too bad”.
