Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that 50,000 civilians have evacuated Eastern Ghouta over the past 72 hours
A Syrian girl uses a walker as she evacuates with other civilians from the town of Jisreen in the southern Eastern Ghouta, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on the way to areas under government control on March 17, 2018. Pic/ AFP
Some 30,000 civilians have evacuated Syria's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area on the outskirts of capital Damascus, according to a local media report. The SANA news report said mass evacuation took place on Saturday night through two crossings, one in Hamouriyeh and the other near the Water Resources facility in Harasta. The evacuation is ongoing and is the latest in a series of mass evacuations that began in Eastern Ghouta on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
ADVERTISEMENT
Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that 50,000 civilians have evacuated Eastern Ghouta over the past 72 hours. Since an escalation of violence in Eastern Ghouta on February 18, a total of 1,394 civilians, including 271 minors and 173 women, have been killed, according to the SOHR. The Syrian army said it had captured 70 per cent of Eastern Ghouta, after splitting the area into sections to facilitate the battle against various rebel groups there.
Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighbourhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge. Four major rebel groups are currently positioned inside Eastern Ghouta, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham and the Levant Liberation Committee.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
