( CNN ) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has been granted access to a detention facility in Syria for the first time since unrest broke out in the country , the committee 's president said Monday after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad . ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger called the breakthrough `` an important step forward for our humanitarian activities in Syria . '' Kellenberger 's meeting with al-Assad occurred amid mounting reports of bloodshed by Syrian security forces . On Monday , security forces killed six people during an ongoing crackdown in the province of Homs , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , an opposition group . The group also reported a similar offensive in Idlib province , where security forces entered with seven armored vehicles , nine cars and four buses . Seventy people were arrested in the operation , and dozens of homes were raided , the opposition group said . Syria has been engulfed in public protest for months , and the regime has been accused internationally of a crackdown on peaceful demonstrators . The government has maintained it is targeting armed terrorists . But opposition activists say it is a systematic , sustained slaughter . `` Ensuring that the sick and the wounded have access to medical care will be among the particularly urgent humanitarian challenges to be addressed with the Syrian authorities , '' the Red Cross said in a statement . The committee will initially be allowed to see only people detained by the Ministry of Interior , Kellenberger said , adding , `` We are hopeful that we will soon be able to visit all detainees . '' Also Monday , the Arab League announced that its secretary general , Nabil al-Araby , will travel to Damascus on Wednesday . The Arab League last week publicly called for restraint and an end to the violence in Syria . Kellenberger 's two-day visit kicked off Sunday with meetings with Prime Minister Adel Safar and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem . The Syrian government said it briefed Kellenberger on the regime 's efforts to `` restore stability and security to the country . '' Reports have surfaced of people not being able to access medical care during security operations . The foreign minister `` stressed that the public hospitals in Syria are constantly ready and provide the required medical services for all the citizens , '' the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Monday . The news agency added that Muallem `` appreciated the humanitarian activities of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Organization which has played an effective role in providing the humanitarian needs of the citizens during the current crisis . '' Also Monday , Kellenberger discussed with al-Assad `` the rules governing the use of force by security forces ... and the obligation to respect the physical and psychological well-being and human dignity of detainees , '' according to the ICRC . On Sunday , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in Idlib province and three others were killed in the village of Tahtaiya by security forces pursuing wanted activists . The opposition group also said a resident from Suraqib who was detained for 20 days died in detention after being tortured . It also claimed that at least 15 people were wounded in the city of Homs due to heavy gunfire by security forces . Another opposition activist group , the Local Coordination Committees of Syria , said eight were killed in Idlib , four in Hama province , and one each in the provinces of Homs and Damascus . Meanwhile , the Syrian news agency reported that six troops and three civilians were killed near the city of Muhardeh in Hama province . The agency said a `` terrorist group '' ambushed a bus carrying troops and civilians , killing nine and injuring 17 . A security patrol pursued the attackers and killed three of them , wounding a fourth and seizing explosives , guns and medical supplies from their stolen pickup , the news agency said . CNN can not independently confirm either the opposition or government claims . Syria has made it difficult for foreign journalists to work in the country since the unrest started , restricting their entry . Officials do not usually comment on opposition allegations concerning the killing or wounding of protesters . The United Nations has reported more than 2,200 people killed in Syria since February , including more than 350 people since security forces stepped up operations against demonstrators during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan . When Kellenberger visited Syrian officials in June , he reached an understanding that would give the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent `` enhanced access to areas of unrest , and negotiations would take place concerning ICRC visits to detainees . '' He aims to `` review progress made in both these areas , '' the ICRC said , including `` an opportunity to discuss the impending start of ICRC visits to persons detained by the Ministry of the Interior . '' The agency `` visits detainees in order to assess the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive , '' it said . This week 's visit comes on the heels of an Amnesty International report detailing the deaths of at least 88 people in detention and describing widespread abuse of prisoners . CNN 's Yousuf Basil , Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Ivan Watson contributed to this report .
NEW : Arab League secretary general will travel to Damascus . The meeting is expected to be held in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The ICRC will be given access to government-held detainees , group 's head says . The organization is also trying to ensure the sick and wounded have access to medical care .