Some 5.6 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance. Artillery fire and aerial bombardment killed an estimated 1,600 fighters and civilians over the past five weeks, while dozens of civilians have died in Damascus. According to the UN, 6,000 fighters and their families have been evacuated from eastern Ghouta to Idlib province in the northwest. Unhygienic conditionsCivilians have lived with fighters in unhygienic conditions and suffered a lack of food, water and medical treatment. The Russian military reported that 120,000 civilians had left eastern Ghouta, while monitors suggested more than 25,000 fighters and families have been evacuated from the region.

Source: The Irish Times March 29, 2018 15:22 UTC