U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Thursday that Kofi AnnanKofi Annan has decided to quit his mission as the special U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria.
"Kofi Annan deserves our deep admiration for the unselfish manner in which he put his formidable skills and prestige to the mission, which is very difficult and potentially unrewarding," said Ban.
For his part, Annan informed the U.N. and Arab League of its intention not to renew his mandate when it expires on Aug. 31.
Annan told reporters in Geneva that when the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger pointing and name calling in the Security Council.
"It is impossible for me or anyone to compel the Syrian government and also the opposition to take the steps to bring about the political process," Annan added.
Annan said earlier this week he feared an "imminent battle" for Syria's city Aleppo.
The former U.N. Secretary General was appointed on Feb. 23, but his peace plan, which included six points to resolve the conflict in Syria, has never been implemented. He was also Ban’s predecessor in the high U.N. office.
On the ground, heavy fighting is reported around the city of Aleppo as rebel forces fight for control of Syria's commercial hub. Battles are also raging along the Syrian border with Turkey, with blasts near the town of Azaz, held by rebels, Reuters news reported.
Meanwhile, Syrian regime forces are still targeting a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. The Yarmook refugee camp on Thursday came under mortar fire from the regime forces as they thought that fighters from the Free Syrian Army were hiding inside the camp.
A resident of Yarmouk told Reuters on Thursday that the regime forces seemed to be targeting sites on the edges of the camp, firing shells every minute. The bombardment started around 7 a.m. and was still going more than three hours later.
Al Arabiya new reported according to Syrian activists that at least 94 people have been killed by the fire of Syrian regime forces across the country on Thursday.
Moreover, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO, 163 people were killed Wednesday in violence in Syria, including 98 civilians, 20 rebels and 45 soldiers.
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