Australia to give additional aid to Syria

Australia will contribute 10 million AU dollars ($8.92 million) to help people affected by the conflict in Syria, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Thursday.

The country will also give 2 million AU dollars ($1.78 million) to support efforts to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, Xinhua reported citing the foreign ministers's statement.

This brought Australia's total assistance in response to the Syrian crisis to 112.8 million AU dollars ($99.93 million) since the conflict began in 2011, added the minister.

More than 100,000 people have died and 9.3 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to reports.

Neighbouring countries now shelter more than 2 million refugees, nearly three-quarters of whom are women and children.