British Minister: Yarmouk camp attack 'senseless'

British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt has condemned the Syrian government air strikes on a Palestinian refugee camp, close to the capital city, Damascus. The attack on Yarmouk refugee camp - a densely populated urban zone that is home to tens of thousands of individuals, both Palestinians and non-Palestinians - killed around 25 people on Sunday after a regime war plane fired a rocket at the Abdel Kader mosque in the camp. This was reported to be part of a campaign by President Assad's military to force rebel forces back from an area that runs from the east to the southwest of the city. Following the attack, Burt said: “The actions of the Syrian government have already driven hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians from their homes into neighbouring countries. The senseless targeting of Palestinian refugees, who had hitherto looked to Syria for shelter and protection, will only exacerbate the risk of contagion across the region.” The Minister also emphasised that Britain’s objective was to end the violence and bring across a transition for a more democratic and stable Syria.