Mr. Barry Andrews:

The area that I visited was in northern Idlib and was a relatively safe part of northern Syria. We did not go in lightly; the decision to go there was taken following a detailed assessment of security. This area had been liberated by the Free Syrian Army. We saw the devastating effects of the battle that had occurred there, including collapsed buildings. There was a mosque that had been attacked in which 80 people died. I was told that the bodies of those who died were still buried under the rubble.

I met individuals who lost their loved ones and I also met lots of people who were very radicalised. They would not have had that attitude in the past but for the conflict. Every single atrocity turns a moderate into a radical. As we can see in the newspapers, these atrocities are happening on a daily basis. The number of people leaving the conflict areas is enormous. Even where the conflict is not happening, there are huge internally displaced populations arriving there and putting enormous pressure on resources. That is where GOAL steps in and tries to identify those in greatest need. The area I visited a couple of weeks ago is where our intervention is operational.