US pledges $12M more in humanitarian aid to Syria, officials say

WASHINGTON – U.S. officials say the Obama administration is giving $12 million in new humanitarian aid for beleaguered Syrian civilians as a civil war rages between rebels and the Assad regime in Aleppo and elsewhere.

The officials say the announcement of additional aid will be made soon. It will take total U.S. humanitarian relief to $76 million since Syria's conflict began last year.

The money will go to the U.N. refugee agency, the international Red Cross, UNICEF and other organizations providing assistance to Syrian civilians.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to divulge the information.

More than 200,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Hundreds of thousands more are displaced within Syria.