A United Nations commission on Syrian war crimes issued a warning that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East could evolve into a regional war.
"The conflict in Syria has reached a tripping point, threatening the entire region," the Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syria Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said on Tuesday at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
He said the events in neighboring Iraq would have grave and violent repercussions for Syria.
Stressing that the sectarian threat is the most dangerous aspect of these developments, Pinheiro said it was a direct consequence of the dominance of extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Iraq has seen a marked increase in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in recent months, which the central government has blamed on ISIL rebels.
ISIL, which already has control of parts of Syria, has extended its reach into Iraq since June 10 when it seized the country's second-largest city Mosul and soon afterwards took near-complete control of the northern city of Tikrit.
www.aa.com.tr/en
