The Syrian rebel-held city of Douma faces a “catastrophic” situation as it becomes the main haven for thousands of people fleeing advances by government forces into eastern Ghouta. The Syrian rebel-held city of Douma faces a “catastrophic” situation as it becomes the main haven for thousands of people fleeing advances by government forces into eastern Ghouta. Jaish al-Islam, one of the main rebel groups in Syria’s eastern Ghouta, said on Monday it had reached an agreement with the government’s ally Russia to evacuate wounded people from the besieged enclave near Damascus. The Syrian rebel-held city of Douma faces a “catastrophic” situation as it becomes the main haven for thousands of people fleeing advances by government forces into eastern Ghouta, its local council said on Monday. Hundreds of people have been killed in a ferocious air and artillery bombardment of the eastern Ghouta district since Feb. 18 as the Syrian government seeks to crush the last major rebel stronghold near the capital Damascus.

Source: Indian Express March 12, 2018 10:07 UTC