Assad forces split enclave held by rebels
BEIRUT — Government forces on Wednesday seized vast swathes of territory including farmland from rebels in the opposition-held suburbs of Damascus, effectively dividing the besieged enclave in two and further squeezing rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, state media and a war monitor reported.
The government, determined to wrest the suburbs from the control of rebels after seven years of war, has resorted to extreme levels of shelling and bombardment to clear the way for its troops to advance on the ground. Hundreds have been killed in the past two weeks.
The state-affiliated al-Ikhbariya TV station on Wednesday broadcast live shots from the region, showing dense columns of smoke rising above the town as explosions and rockets could be heard flying overhead. Syria’s Central Military Media said troops took control of the town of Beit Sawa and most of Misraba, both rebel-held communities in the heart of the enclave.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that by nightfall, Syrian government troops and allied militias had seized half of the territory held by rebels in eastern Ghouta and split the enclave in two halves — a north and southern part.
By slicing the territory, the Syrian government succeeds in severing supply routes and squeezing further rebels inside.
Dramatic videos released by the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense on Wednesday showed rescuers digging away hardpacked rubble to rescue a dust-covered little boy and a baby girl in the town of Arbeen. The Britainbased Observatory, which monitors the war through a network of activists on the ground, said 40 people were killed in the bombardment Wednesday.
In Geneva, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein denounced what he said were attempts by Syrian government of President Bashar Assad to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters in eastern Ghouta, calling it “legally and morally unsustainable.”
“When you are prepared to kill your own people, lying is easy, too. Claims by the government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous,” he said.
At least 800 civilians have been killed since the offensive started Feb. 18, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Russia’s military by its own admission is playing a key role supporting the assault.