Kids’ malnutrition blamed on siege

BEIRUT: Syrian opposition activists say malnutrition and medicine shortages are increasing the suffering in besieged, rebel-held eastern suburbs of the Syrian capital, Damascus, adding two children have died in the past two months as a result.

Activists blame the malnutrition, mostly among children, on a fouryear government siege and greed by local businessmen who hoard food and medical products to raise the prices.

The crisis in the suburbs, also known as eastern Ghouta, has worsened since May after government forces seized the Qaboun and Barzeh neighbourhoods in north-east Damascus. The two neighbourhoods were hubs for smuggling supplies into the Ghouta region through tunnels.

International aid organisations have been sending food to Ghouta, home to tens of thousands, but the last convoy entered more than a month ago.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the main reason behind the suffering is the government siege, adding there are businessmen who are taking advantage of the food shortage. Ahmad Khansour, a Ghouta-based opposition activist, said via text messages that high prices are far beyond people’s reach, saying 1kgof sugar is selling for up to $12 (R165), while 1kg of rice sells for nearly $5. He said the average family’s monthly income was about $100.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says an operation to implement a “de-escalation” zone in Syria’s northern Idlib province is “to a great extent complete”.

Addressing legislators from his ruling party in parliament yesterday, Erdogan suggested that Turkish troops could now target Syria’s border region of Afrin, which is controlled by Syrian Kurdish groups.

Turkey considers the Syrian militia to be terrorists, because of their links to Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey.

“We have the issue of Afrin ahead of us,” Erdogan said. “We cannot make any concessions. As we have said before, we may arrive suddenly one night, we may hit (them) one night.”

Turkey sent troops into Syria this month to set up “observation posts” in the border provincedominated by al-Qaeda-linked militants.