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ByCostasKantouris The Associated Press IDOMENI, GREECE Pressed against coils of razor wire and shouting "Help us!," refugees stranded at Greece's northern border were pushed back Monday by Macedonian police using tear gas and stun grenades, as the European Union scrambled to ease the esca- lating number of stranded migrants in Greece. In a chaotic scene, Syr- ian and Iraqi refugees forced their way through part of a Macedonian bor- der fence, some clutching infants or struggling to free duffel bags caught in the razor-wire fence. They were met by Macedonian riot police, bolstered by dozens of special forces of- ficers flown in by helicopter to quell a refugee protest. Amnesty International condemned European gov- ernment for failing to ade- quately help stranded mi- grants. "Tragically, there seems to be more willingness among European countries to coordinate blocking bor- ders than to provide refu- gees and asylum-seekers with protection and basic services," said Giorgos Kos- mopoulos, Amnesty's direc- tor in Greece. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are ar- riving daily. The border pileup began ten days ago, when Austria and four ex- Yugoslav countries on the Balkan migrant route north into Western Europe de- cided to slow border access for migrants to a trickle — and stopped letting Afghan migrants travel through their territory. A U.N. official says those nations never did explain who made the decision on Afghan migrants, or why. Donald Tusk, the Euro- pean Council President, be- gins of tour of those coun- tries Tuesday, starting in Vienna, which has been strongly criticized by other EU nations for its caps on asylum-seekers, and ending Thursday in Athens. Tusk is aiming to prepare for a meeting of leaders from the EU and Turkey on March 7, where the key topic will be trying to halt the flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece. The number of migrants stranded in Greece topped 22,000 over the week- end, according to govern- ment estimates. Thousands have been sleeping outside in parks and along north- bound highways, as refugee shelters quickly overflowed. "Very many people were forced to sleep in the open, without tents, wrapped in blankets," said 45-year-old Syrian refugee Nidal Jo- jack, who has been camped out with her family at Ido- meni for three days. "It was very cold. The borders are effectively closed, it's a huge problem. To get food, we have to wait in very long queues," she said. Jojack said she hopes to reach Germany, where her 18-year-old son has already arrived. Despite receiving the bulk of the refugees seek- ing the safety of Europe, Germany has opposed uni- lateral border restrictions and continued to back an EU-wide solution for the migrant crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is resisting calls at home and elsewhere in Europe for limits on refugees like Austria. EUROPE Crisisworsens:Migrants face razor wire, tear gas PETROSGIANNAKOURIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A woman carries a child on the Greek side of the border as they run away a er Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of the refugees and migrants who tried to push their way into Macedonia, breaking down a border gate near the Greek village of Idomeni on Monday. By Zeina Karam and Jamey Keaten The Associated Press BEIRUT U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that a shaky cease- fire in Syria is holding "by and large" on its third day despite sporadic fighting and growing accusations of violations. A war of words between the Syrian government and Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the opposition, has mean- while added to the rising tensions. The Syrian Foreign Min- istry said recent statements by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir were "lies meant to boost the morale" of militants who have suf- fered setbacks in Syria in recent weeks and demon- strate the kingdom's "de- structive role" in Syria. Al-Jubeir had reiter- ated Saudi Arabia's long- standing position that Syr- ian President Bashar Assad must leave power, either peacefully or through mil- itary means. The foreign minister also accused Syr- ian forces of violating the cease-fire. Speaking to reporters Monday in Geneva, Ban confirmed receiving a let- ter from the High Negotia- tions Committee, the main umbrella opposition group, complaining of continuing violations by the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian backers. The letter sent Sun- day urged the U.N. to help "specify the territory cov- ered by the truce to prevent hostilities." The Russian and U.S.- brokered cease-fire that went into effect Saturday excludes the Islamic State group as well as al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. The cease-fire has significantly reduced vio- lence across the war-rav- aged country, bringing some respite to civilians, particularly from airstrikes. But accusations of breaches by both sides threaten to undermine the deal, which aims to bring the Syrian government and the opposition back to peace talks in Geneva next week. Ban told reporters he wanted the cease-fire ex- tended beyond the planned duration of two weeks. The U.N. also said it plans to deliver life-saving hu- manitarian assistance to about 154,000 people living in besieged locations inside Syria over the next five days. A briefing note sent out by OCHA on Monday said the assistance will include food, water and sanitation sup- plies, as well as non-food items and medicine. An official with the Syr- ian Arab Red Crescent said dozens of trucks carrying aid started entering a be- sieged rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital, Damas- cus, for the first time since the cease-fire went into ef- fect. Muhannad al-Assadi told The Associated Press that the 51 trucks are carrying domestic supplies such as blankets, soap and diapers. He said it is the third aid convoy that has been al- lowed to enter the suburb of Moadamiyeh in recent weeks. Aid deliveries are a main opposition demand ahead of the planned resumption of peace talks in Geneva on March 7. SPORADIC FIGHTING UN chief: Syria cease-fire holds despite breaches By Lolita C. Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON U.S. cyber- attacks to disrupt the Is- lamic State's communica- tions and overload their networks could force the militant group to use older technologies that are easier for the U.S. to intercept, De- fense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday. Carter and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pro- vided new details about how the Pentagon is us- ing its new aggressive cy- ber campaign as part of the military operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "As we disrupt the ISIL communications via cyber or other methods, some- times we do drive them to other means," Carter told Pentagon reporters. "Some- times, those other means are easier for us to listen to. So by taking away some of the ways that they are used to operating, they're pro- tected and that they regard as an information sanctu- ary, drives them to other, in- cluding older technologies. And so one way or another, it is a very effective tool." U.S. officials told The As- sociatedPresslastweekthat the military had ramped up cyber operations against the group. The operations include efforts by U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, to prevent the group from using the In- ternet and social media to communicate and distrib- ute propaganda aimed at attracting and inspiring recruits. It could also force them back to technologies like cell phones to commu- nicate. Dunford said that using the computer-based attacks alongside bombings and other military actions al- lows the U.S. to "both phys- ically and virtually isolate" the group and limits its abil- ity to command and control its fighters. And that type of coordinated offensive, he said, will be used to support Iraqi security forces as they try to retake the northern city of Mosul. The surge of computer- based military operations by U.S. Cyber Command began shortly after Carter prodded commanders at Fort Meade last month to accelerate the fight against the Islamic State group on the cyber front. Late last year Carter met with commanders, telling them they had 30 days to bring him options for how the military could use its cyberwarfare capabilities against the group's deadly insurgency across Iraq and Syria, and spreading to Libya and Afghanistan. Officials said he told com- manders that beefing up cy- berwarfare against Islamic State was a test for them, and that they should have both the capability and the will to wage the online war. The officials described the conversations on condi- tion of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly. 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