World push for $1.5 billion in aid for Syria

UN, world leaders try to tackle issue during event in Kuwait

By Holly Yan and Saad Abedine CNN
POSTED: 5:09 PM Jan 30 2013   UPDATED: 5:31 AM Jan 31 2013
Syria children
(CNN) -






But getting the money is only part of the struggle.








Countries across the world step up aid





Violence wracks the country unabated

As the flow of aid increases, so does the need.






State-run media, meanwhile, said government forces killed scores of 'terrorists' outside Damascus. The government routinely uses the term to describe opposition fighters, though members of Jabhat al-Nusra -- which the United States calls a terrorist group -- have reportedly joined the rebels in fighting.

In neighboring Turkey, a U.S. ship carrying Patriot air defense systems landed Wednesday at Iskenderun Port, according to the semi-official Anadolu Agency.

The spokesman for the Turkish general staff, Major Cengiz Alabacak, said that the systems would be deployed in the southeastern province of Gaziantep and would be operational by the middle of February.



Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this month that the missile batteries will stay only as long as there is a threat.

The Syrian crisis started nearly two years ago, when President Bashar al-Assad's forces cracked down on civilians peacefully protesting government policies.

The violence led to an armed uprising and escalated into a civil war, with al-Assad trying to defend four decades of family rule against rebels demanding his ouster.

But with neither side showing any indication of backing down, it's unclear how many more thousands of civilians may die.