Hugh Pope, a policy expert on Turkey and Cyprus spoke with AlertNet after delivering a presentation at a conference in Istanbul.

The three-day “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” seminar examines the role of the news media and how journalists can avoid being exploited by terrorists to help them achieve their goals

Picture Credit : A Turkish soldier speaks with Syrian refugees who are trying to cross the border fence from the northern Syrian town of Ras al-Ain into Turkey after gunfire were heard in Ras al-Ain, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province November 19, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The growing number of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war into Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as the humanitarian situation worsens, is putting increasing pressure on aid agencies trying to provide assistance.

More than 300,000 refugees have already fled during the 18-month conflict, and that number could grow to 710,000 by the end of this year, UNHCR , the U.N. refugee agency, says.

The number of registered Syrian refugees and those awaiting registration in Lebanon is now more than 80,800 and is expected to grow to 120,000 by the end of 2012, UNHCR reports.

Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy describes the impact of the February 22 shelling of the Baba Amr district in the Syrian city of Homs. Conroy escaped after suffering leg injuries.

Nothing prepared me for what we saw in Baba Amr ? Paul Conroy (mp3)

The bombardment killed U.S. journalist Marie Colvin, French photographer Remi Ochlik and seriously injured French journalist Edith Bouvier.

Conroy spoke at an event hosted by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) on Tuesday in London.