Regime forces mourn first female fighter killed in Eastern Ghouta

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime has mourned the first female soldier killed in the besieged Eastern Ghouta as the Russia-backed forces wage one of the deadliest offensives in the war.

Rana Hashem was born in Salamiyah town in north western Hama province.

More than 119,000 pro-regime forces have been killed, including 62,000 troops, tens of thousands of loyalist militiamen, and 1,556 fighters from Hezbollah, according to an estimate by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, advances by regime forces into rebel-held suburbs are causing many people to flee, a pro-Syrian opposition television station and a witness in the enclave said Sunday.

Orient TV said advances by forces loyal to Bashar Assad had triggered wide scale displacement.

The witness said people had fled areas where regime forces had seized ground at the eastern periphery of the rebel enclave, and were seeking shelter in areas in the heart of the eastern Ghouta.

Syrian regime forces on Saturday took almost complete control of the town of al-Shayfouniya, the Observatory said.

The spokesman for the rebel Jaish al-Islam group, writing on Twitter, said regime forces had mounted a failed attempt to storm a nearby area, al-Rayhan, but did not mention al-Shayfouniya.

Jaish al-Islam said they killed 459 troops since the deadliest offensive began on February 18.

The regime forces in Eastern Ghouta killed at least 21 civilians on Saturday, Civil Defense rescuing group said

. Friday's strikes also killed 23 civilians in Ghouta, including 14 from the city of Douma.

About 700 civilians have been killed since the regime, aided by Russia, launched an air offensive on the largely rural area outside the capital on February 18, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets.

Eastern Ghouta, home to some 400,000 people, has been under a crippling siege and daily bombardment for months. More than 700 civilians have been killed in the last two weeks alone.

The Security Council Saturday called for a 30-day countrywide truce. Russia, which backs the Syrian regime in the war, has instead called for daily humanitarian ceasefires from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Zaman Al Wasl