President Assad dismisses deputy PM: Syria media

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil from his post, state media says.

“Jamil was dismissed because he left his center of work without prior permission and did not follow up on his duties…. Additionally, he undertook activities outside the nation without coordinating with the government,” state television said on Tuesday.

The Syrian deputy premier recently travelled to the Swiss city of Geneva where some sources said he had met with US officials.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.

The UN also says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced during the next year.

Moreover, a recent report commissioned by UN agencies says the devastating conflict in Syria has left over half of the country’s population in poverty.

The report put the unemployment rate at 48.6 percent, saying 49 percent of Syria’s children were out of school as education “is in the midst of a silent disaster.”

It also warned that the health sector faces a “significant collapse.”