UN Mission to Syria Suspended

Escalating violence is forcing United Nations observers to suspend their mission in Syria “until further notice.”

The head of the U.N. observer force announced the decision in a statement Saturday. Major General Robert Mood said observer teams would not go out on patrol or take part in other activities due to the increase in violence over the last 10 days.

Mood also said the decision to suspend the mission would be reviewed on a daily basis.

The U.N. has sent nearly 300 unarmed observers to Syria to monitor the implementation of a cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition forces. That cease-fire never took hold.

Mood warned Friday that conditions on the ground in Syria were “becoming increasingly risky,” blaming the intensifying violence on both sides. He said the mission’s future was in the hands of the U.N. Security Council.