The Secretary-General is closely following the continuing offensive by the terrorist group ISIL in the town of Ayn al-Arab in northern Syria. He is alarmed by reports indicating that thousands of civilians have been forced to flee the violence. This number may rise significantly if the ISIL offensive is not stopped.

The Secretary-General calls for an immediate end to the violence. He welcomes the decision of the Turkish Government to allow some of those affected to cross the border into safety.