An army officer interviewed on state television said rebels who had not yet negotiated similar deals to evacuate from other towns in Eastern Ghouta must quit or die. Douma is the most populous area in Eastern Ghouta, and for more than a week it has been entirely surrounded by the government. FerocityThe Syrian government and Russia accuse rebels in Eastern Ghouta of preventing civilians from leaving to use them as human shields, which the rebels deny. Russia’s Defence Ministry said that, since Russia began imposing “humanitarian pauses” almost a month ago, some 95,000 people had left Eastern Ghouta for government territory. The northwestern province is the biggest remaining area under rebel control in Syria and its population has been doubled by refugees fleeing other areas.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 22, 2018 21:56 UTC