NEW YORK: Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was named special envoy for the crisis in Syria by the United Nations and the Arab League on Thursday. The news came in a statement from current UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi. The Syrian government has continued its crackdown despite sanctions and the UN General Assembly this month calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step down and demanding an end to the violence. Among those most at risk in embattled Syria are a rising number of children. “More and more children are being killed or injured,” UNICEF said Thursday. At least 7,200 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began last March, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in its most recent release on the number of deaths. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/qRb8C Tags: Arab League, Envoy, Kofi Annan, UN Section: Latest News, Syria