Syria: 40 reported dead in regime airstrikes on besieged eastern Ghouta
Douma is the last rebel-controlled town in Syrias Eastern Ghouta, a sprawling suburb of Damascus that was once the oppositions bastion on the edge of the capital.
The ministry has informed that about 7 people being killed and over 42 injured by Jaysh Al-Islam militants during the shelling of Damascus with 25 mortar shells and bombardment missiles.
Before the fighting resumed, helicopters earlier Friday dropped leaflets on Douma saying rebels should either leave to the northern town of Jarablus or hand over their weapons and receive amnesty with Russian and Syrian government guarantees that would include not drafting young men to the military service until after six to 10 months. The evacuations have been suspended since Thursday and state TV says Army of Islam members have refused to release scores of government supporters they have been holding for years.
In response, an evacuation agreement signed with the Jaysh al-Islam rebel group that contorls Douma has been put on hold.
A reporter for Lebanon's Al-Manar TV embedded with Syrian troops near Douma said government forces advanced toward Douma from the towns of Misraba and Madiara that were recently captured by troops.
"At least 40 civilians including 8 children have been killed in air strikes and rocket fire on Douma", it said.
Government forces launched a crushing offensive in February and March on eastern Ghouta capturing dozens of towns and villages forcing thousands of opposition fighters to surrender and evacuate the area toward Syria's north.
SANA blamed the suspension of the evacuation on the inner conflict among Islam Army rebels. It sliced the area into three isolated pockets each held by different rebel factions.
The first two were evacuated under Russian-brokered deals last month that saw more than 46,000 rebels and civilians moved to the northwestern province of Idlib, which the regime does not control. "We don't know where we're going, and rumours are flying in the town", said a resident reached by phone who gave his name as Mohammed.
Assad's forces and Jaish al-Islam began negotiations ten days ago.
It remains unclear exactly why the talks between Moscow and Jaish al-Islam have faltered.
There are tens of thousands of people estimated to be living in Douma, according to Reuters.
The army, however, resumed airstrikes on militant positions in Douma on Friday after the last remaining militants there violated an evacuation deal and shelled civilian areas near Damascus on Saturday.
As talks over the third and final pocket of Douma dragged on, Russian Federation and Syria's regime threatened Jaish al-Islam with a renewed military assault if they did not agree to withdraw. "Their only shared interests is the blood of civilians", he said.
Roughly 100,000 people live in Duma, a regime-besieged neighborhood of Eastern Ghouta that is approximately seven square kilometers in size.
Related:
-
Deutsche Bank Analysts Give Microsoft (MSFT) a $120.00 Price Target
Total volume is the number of shares or deals that point towards the overall activity of a security or market for a given period. Zeke Ashton increased its stake in Brown & Brown Inc (BRO) by 82.81% based on its latest 2017Q4 regulatory filing with the SEC.China hits U.S. soybeans, cars, planes with retaliatory tariffs
A report released on Tuesday by the USTR also cited complaints that Beijing uses cyber spying to steal foreign business secrets. Washington is trying to promote technology exports to offset its imports from China and support higher-paying jobs.Fed up with school spending cuts, Oklahoma teachers prepare to walk out
Teachers picket around the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on Monday to protest education funding and salaries. Teacher union officials in Oklahoma say many educators have left their schools for higher pay in neighboring states. -
Saudi Arabia grants US firm first licence to operate cinemas
Having emerged victorious and won the first license, AMC will open its first theater in Riyadh in two weeks time on April 18. The first film the cinema will screen will be hit Marvel superhero flick Black Panther , a source added to Reuters .Last Syrian Rebel Group Starts Leaving Ghouta
Eastern Ghouta was taken over by rebel groups in mid-2013, resulting in the Syrian government besieging the area since then. According to United Nations officials, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.MI heads to national title game against Villanova
MI showed against Texas A&M it can get hot, but the Wolverines have struggled on offense in four of their five tournament games. Free Press sports writers and columnists predict Monday's national championship game between MI and Villanova in San Antonio . -
Amazon Launches Alexa Intercom Feature for Echo Devices in Canada, USA
It has preset sounds which can be triggered by Google Home broadcasts, for particular incidents. You can also say "Alexa, tell everyone..." or "Alexa, broadcast..." to access the new feature.U.S. stocks fall on tech weakness, Treasuries slip
In 1.49pm trading in NY , the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.2 percent. The June gold contract closed up $19.60 at US$1,346.90 an ounce and the May copper contract was up two cents at US$3.05 a pound.Meghan Markle, Prince Harry reveal florist for royal wedding
The designs will include locally sourced foliage and have flowers and plants that are in season during May. Prince Harry has previously stated the importance his late mum has in his relationship with Markle. -
Massimiliano Allegri set to replace Antonio Conte at Chelsea
Allegri though remains a credible target to replace Conte as he aims to win a fourth consecutive Serie A title with the Bianconeri.Indian killed in Iraq went through illegal agents: MoS
Sarwan Singh, the younger brother of Nishan Singh -- who was also killed in Iraq, said the minister's statement was unfortunate. To a query, he said that had they got any clue about the Indian men, they could have been saved like nurses were saved in Iraq.Multi-angle replays of Falcon 9's liftoff from Cape Canaveral
These projects range from a test bed for growing plants to the new Veggie PONDS experiment for passive nutrient delivery. NASA will document the payload's arrival to the space station on its livestream NASA TV starting at 5:30 a.m.