Sick and injured civilians left a rebel enclave in Syria’s eastern Ghouta on Tuesday under the first medical evacuation since one of the deadliest assaults of the seven-year war began nearly a month ago. International attention has been focused in recent weeks mainly on the plight of civilians in eastern Ghouta, where the United Nations believes 400,000 people have been trapped under punishing bombardment, deprived of food and medicine. The government assault on eastern Ghouta has become one of the bloodiest of the war, with rebels on course for their worst defeat since the battle of Aleppo in 2016. In eastern Ghouta, Russian-backed Syrian forces have captured swathes of the pocket of satellite towns and farmland, splintering it into three separate zones in recent days. The Observatory said Turkish forces and their Syrian militia allies had encircled 700,000 people in Afrin and nearby areas.

Source: Hindustan Times March 13, 2018 15:56 UTC