The International Red Cross has been granted unprecedented access to Syrian prisons to provide medical aid for detainees.

Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger announced the development in a statement at the end of a two-day visit to Damascus, during which he met with President Bashar al-Assad.

Kellenberger described the prison visits as "an important step forward" for humanitarian efforts in Syria.

"The Syrian authorities have granted the ICRC access to a place of detention for the first time," Kellenberger said in a statement. "Initially, we will have access to persons detained by the Ministry of the Interior and we are hopeful that we will soon be able to visit all detainees."

The statement said Kellenberger "welcomed the progress made in terms of access to areas affected by the ongoing violence. He emphasized one of his main concerns now is to ensure that the wounded and sick are able to obtain medical care."

Kellenberger's meeting with Assad also covered "the rules governing the use of force by security forces in the current situation and the obligation to respect the physical and psychological well-being and human dignity of detainees," the statement said.

Thousands of activists and others have been jailed during nearly a half year of anti-government protests across much of Syria. The United Nations estimates that some 2,200 civilians have been killed by government forces during that period.

The prison visit came as forces and militiamen loyal to President Assad killed at least 10 civilians across Syria on Monday in assaults aimed to end protests and to prevent refugees fleeing the bloodshed from crossing over to Turkey, activists and residents said.

At least seven of those deaths were reported in the hotbed city of Homs after security forces were deployed in response to "armed terrorist gangs."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-Assad troops stormed at least three neighborhoods in the city, 165 kilometers (100 miles) north of Damascus.

Author: Darren Mara (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: David Levitz