(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 17 civilians killed in besieged Eastern Ghouta suburbs as regime force and Russia stepped up aerial campaign on the last rebel-stronghold around the capital, local activists said on Sunday.
The regime air force conducted more than 40 raids in the past 48 hours, pounding most of the eastern suburbs of the capital amid reports of major attack to overrun the embattled enclave, according to local reporter.
Two people killed early Sunday in strikes hit the town of Kafr Batna while 15 more killed on Saturday. (9 in Harasta, 3 in Otaya, 3 in Kafr Batna)
Eastern Ghouta is a densely populated pocket of towns and farms and the only major rebel stronghold near the capital Damascus. The military has steadily defeated pockets of armed rebellion in western Syria over the past year, with the help of Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias.
Although Eastern Ghouta is officially a “de-escalation zone” under Russian-led ceasefire deals for rebel territory, fighting there has continued. The population, including 130,000 children, is suffering the worst malnutrition seen in the almost seven-year war, the U.N. has said.
Residents and aid workers said the regime has tightened the siege in recent months in what they called a deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, a charge the government denies.
Zaman Al Wasl
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.