Aid convoy to Damascus rebel-held suburb postponed
BEIRUT (AP):
ASECOND convoy with desperately needed aid for the besieged rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus was postponed yesterday because of the violence and a rapidly evolving situation on the ground, as Syrian government forces effectively split the eastern Ghouta enclave into two parts.
In rapid advances overnight, troops and allied militiamen seized more than half of the area, including a stretch of farmland, isolating t he northern and southern parts of the rebel-held territory, cutting links between the rebels and further squeezing opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, state media and a war monitor reported.
The government forces advanced from the east and were only about a mile away from forces on the western side of eastern Ghouta. The military gains have caused wide-scale internal displacement as civilians flee government advances toward areas in the territory still held by the rebels.
The most densely populated areas in eastern Ghouta are still under rebel control, including the towns of Douma, Harasta, Kfar Batna, Saqba and Hammouriyeh.
The government, determined to wrest the eastern Ghouta suburbs from rebel control after seven years of war, has intensified the shelling and bombardment to clear the way for its troops to advance on the ground. Hundreds have been killed in the past two weeks, including dozens of fatalities reported on Wednesday. Some 400,000 people are believed to be inside the territory, trapped under a relentless air and ground campaign.