Reporting by Mohamed Kassah
(Eqtsad)- The Syrian regime forces on Wednesday have continued their ground and aerial campaign on the villages of Wadi Barada valley northwest of the capital for the sixth day where about 100,000 civilians live in deteriorating living conditions.
The regime forces imposed a partial siege on 10 villages of the 13 villages of Wadi Barada valley for almost a year, but with the recent launch of the new campaign all roads to the area were completely cut off.
Opposition forces control ten villages including, “Baseimeh, Ein al-Fiji, Deir Mkaren, Kafr Azzeat, Deir Qanon, al-Husseineh, Kafr al-Awameed, Burhila, Souq Wadi Barada, and Ifreh,” while the regime forces control the remaining villages in the valley including al-Jadidet, al-Ashrafiat, and Hariret.
Abu Mohammad al-Bardawi, the spokesperson for “The Wadi Barada Media Association,” that the living conditions of the civilians besieged in the valley’s villages is very bad. Al-Bardawi added in a special statement to Eqtsad that most people are living in underground shelters. “There is no bread, electricity, and communications are completely cut. Sources of heat are also absent. Most of the food product shops were bombed and their merchandise burnt completely.”
The regime forces have also prevented medication from being brought into the area for almost a year.
Al-Bardawi said, “Medication for heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes is almost absent.” He confirmed that during the partial siege on the valley, “Bringing in medication was prohibited.”
Bloody Confrontations
Major clashes are taking place on several axes in the area. Activists hastened to spread news of the regime forces incurring large losses during the military operations. Since the first day of the campaign, the regime warplanes intensified their air strikes targeting civilian houses with explosive barrels.
Mou’ath al-Shami, living in the area, said the regime is trying to pressure the resistance and residents to force them to accept a truce.
Al-Shami added texting via WhatsApp that the regime’s strategic objective from the campaign on the Valley’s villages is securing the Ein al-Fiji water spring that supplies Damascus with water. When asked if the regime intends to repeat the scenario of al-Moadamiya and other areas of displacing fighters, al-Shami responded with “certainly, they want to implement a forced displacement operation and empty the area of its rebels.”
Ein Al-Fija Spring
Since the start of the campaign until the sixth day, activists documented over 45 explosive barrels falling on the village of Ein al-Fija. Al-Shami said the warplanes executed ten air strikes on the village. Fourteen explosive barrels were dropped on the village of Baseimeh in addition to four air strikes. Hundreds of tank and artillery mortar rockets were launched on these two villages and other villages such as Deir Mkaren, Kafr Azzeat, and al-Husseineh.
The shelling targeted the Ein al-Fija spring directly which supplies around 65% of the capital’s water. Al-Shami clarified that the bombing led to the spring going out of service after its special building was destroyed, the water pumps damaged and the spring water polluted.
The damage was documented and broadcasted via social media websites. The deficiency may cause a major water disaster especially after the water tank was polluted with Chlorine, diesel and oil. Due to the missing of these components with the spring water, activists fear for the remaining tens of thousands of civilians in the Valley who depend on the spring as their primary water source.
The area of Wadi Barada valley is about 18 km (11 miles) northwest of the capital. It has been the site of a major regime offensive since Friday 23 December as the regime forces, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces, attempt to regain complete control of the area.
The area is strategically important to the regime due to the Ein al-Fija water spring which supplies much of the capital’s water source, and the areas geographical location on the road from Damascus to the Lebanese border. The route is used as a supply line for the Iranian-back Hezbollah group fighting alongside regime army forces.
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