BRUSSELS (AP) — Dozens of international donor nations have pledged a total of $6.4 billion in aid to help tackle war-ravaged Syria’s deepening humanitarian and economic crises and help neighboring countries hosting refugees. They came up short of the $10 billion the U.N. had hoped for. The annual pledging event Monday and Tuesday was co-hosted by the EU and the United Nations. Syria’s civil war has entered its 11th year without a political solution in sight. The decade of bloodshed has killed more than a half million people and sparked a refugee exodus that has destabilized neighboring countries and impacted Europe. The U.N. says 13.4 million people in Syria need assistance. That’s a 20% increase from last year.
