Dozens of civilians killed in Syria air strikes
Damascus: Dozens of civilians have been killed in air strikes and artillery shelling in war-ravaged Syria, activists said on Sunday.
Air raids targeting Eastern Ghouta district outside the capital Damascus killed at least 23 people as Syrian government forces continue to increase military pressure on the rebel-controlled area.
“The toll could rise further because of the number of wounded people in a serious condition,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least four children were among the dead, he added. The local Ghouta Media Centre also reported 23 civilians had been killed.
Attacks on Eastern Ghouta over the past two weeks have killed more than 100 people, the Syrian Observatory said.
Sunday’s attacks targeted the opposition-held residential neighbourhoods of Douma, Misraba, Ein Tarma, Medeira and Harasta, according to an Anadolu news agency reporter in the area.
Eastern Ghouta was hit even though it was listed as a “de-escalation zone”, where military activity is prohibited under an agreement endorsed by Turkey, Russia, and Iran.
Rebels in Eastern Ghouta have managed to keep Syrian military forces at bay during years of war, however, a government siege of the district has led to a humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of food and medicine.
Guney Yildiz, from the European Council of Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that Syrian forces are stepping up attacks against opposition fighters in advance of new negotiations in Geneva starting on Tuesday.