Starving thousands escape 10-month Damascus siege

NEW evidence of starvation suffered by tens of thousands of besieged Syrians emerged yesterday after 2000 people escaped from a town near Damascus.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent evacuated women, children and elderly men from the rebel-held area of Moaddamiyah, where they had been surrounded for nearly 10 months by forces loyal to President Assad.

The development came after a deal between the government and the town.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomed the move, but said that thousands more were trapped, including the sick and wounded.

Video footage released by the Syrian opposition and purporting to be from Moaddamiyah showed the skeletal remains of a girl who was said to be seven. Dua al-Sheikh was in a nappy and had blisters around her lips. The opposition said that she had starved to death.

In a separate video, two boys said they were so hungry that they had to eat leaves. It is unclear whether the boys were among those released by the regime.

Magne Barth, the head of the ICRC delegation, said: ‘‘There are many more, including children, who remain in the town.

‘‘It is imperative that humanitarian aid and personnel be allowed into the town – and that is what we have been requesting repeatedly for the past two months.’’