Russia has dismissed the reports that it carried out airstrikes on eastern Ghouta that killed several civilians, calling them &quot;fake news.&quot;

Russian news agency TASS quoted Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying on Friday, &quot;Reports from the British Syrian Observatory For Human Rights citing anonymous &#39;activists&#39; from the village of Kafer Batna about alleged Russian airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta are yet another fake. Russia&#39;s air force performed no combat missions in the area of Eastern Ghouta.&quot;

The Russian military staying in this area are officers of the Russian centre for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, said Konashenkov, adding that they have been given the work to ensure operation of humanitarian corridors, help civilians conduct ceasefire negotiations with armed opposition leaders.

&quot;I would like to stress that these activities are carried out in the eyes of journalists, including from foreign media. Moreover, the Russian Defense Ministry has organized online broadcasting both from the ground and from unmanned aerial vehicles of the actual situation in Eastern Ghouta, around the humanitarian corridors that have already been used by more than 16,00 civilians to leave the area,&quot; he said.

In the past eight months, Syrian regime forces have intensified their siege of Eastern Ghouta, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to get into the district and leaving thousands of patients in need of treatment.

Since February 19, escalating hostilities have resulted in 500 deaths and some 1,500 injuries in Eastern Ghouta, with 24 health facilities impacted by shelling and airstrikes, according to UN officials.

Eastern Ghouta, which houses around 400,000 residents, has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off.

In May last year, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed an agreement to set up de-escalation zones, in order to prevent airstrike-related incidents in some parts of Syria.

The de-escalation zones include- Idlib province, some parts of Latakia province, Hama and Aleppo provinces, Homs, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and al-Quneitra provinces in southern Syria.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011. Protesters have been long demanding the resignation of President Assad over his autocratic rule.

Eastern Ghouta, which houses around 400,000 residents, has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off

Russia has dismissed the reports that it carried out airstrikes on eastern Ghouta that killed several civilians, calling them "fake news." Russian news agency TASS quoted Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying on Friday, "Reports from the British Syrian Observatory For Human Rights citing anonymous 'activists' from the village of Kafer Batna about alleged Russian airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta are yet another fake. Russia's air force performed no combat missions in the area of Eastern Ghouta." The Russian military staying in this area are officers of the Russian centre for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, said Konashenkov, adding that they have been given the work to ensure operation of humanitarian corridors, help civilians conduct ceasefire negotiations with armed opposition leaders. "I would like to stress that these activities are carried out in the eyes of journalists, including from foreign media. Moreover, the Russian Defense Ministry has organized online broadcasting both from the ground and from unmanned aerial vehicles of the actual situation in Eastern Ghouta, around the humanitarian corridors that have already been used by more than 16,00 civilians to leave the area," he said. In the past eight months, Syrian regime forces have intensified their siege of Eastern Ghouta, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to get into the district and leaving thousands of patients in need of treatment. Since February 19, escalating hostilities have resulted in 500 deaths and some 1,500 injuries in Eastern Ghouta, with 24 health facilities impacted by shelling and airstrikes, according to UN officials. Eastern Ghouta, which houses around 400,000 residents, has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off. In May last year, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed an agreement to set up de-escalation zones, in order to prevent airstrike-related incidents in some parts of Syria. The de-escalation zones include- Idlib province, some parts of Latakia province, Hama and Aleppo provinces, Homs, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and al-Quneitra provinces in southern Syria. Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011. Protesters have been long demanding the resignation of President Assad over his autocratic rule.

Russia denies airstrikes on Syria's eastern Ghouta

FIFA lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football on Friday with the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala given the go-ahead to stage official matches.

&quot;We are allowing international matches to be staged in the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala,&quot; FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters after a meeting of the FIFA Council in Bogota.

The three cities had been allowed to organise friendlies in the last year provided the security situation was &quot;stable&quot;.

Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra.

&quot;FIFA has given the green light for the resumption but the organisers of the championship must take the final decision,&quot; added Infantino.

FIFA added that it cannot &quot;yet&quot; agree to a request from the Iraqi authorities to organise matches in the capital of Baghdad, but Infantino promised that the city&#39;s application would continue to be studied.

For years, Iraq has been busily building stadiums and pressurising stars and the sport&#39;s governing bodies to help them return to the international fold.

Friday&#39;s decision followed an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Basra on February 28, their first on Iraqi soil in 40 years.

It was watched by Asian Football Confederation head Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa who said &quot;the time had come&quot; to end the three-decade ban.

Iraq has not played full internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.

Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra

FIFA lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football on Friday with the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala given the go-ahead to stage official matches. "We are allowing international matches to be staged in the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala," FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters after a meeting of the FIFA Council in Bogota. The three cities had been allowed to organise friendlies in the last year provided the security situation was "stable". Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra. "FIFA has given the green light for the resumption but the organisers of the championship must take the final decision," added Infantino. FIFA added that it cannot "yet" agree to a request from the Iraqi authorities to organise matches in the capital of Baghdad, but Infantino promised that the city's application would continue to be studied. For years, Iraq has been busily building stadiums and pressurising stars and the sport's governing bodies to help them return to the international fold. Friday's decision followed an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Basra on February 28, their first on Iraqi soil in 40 years. It was watched by Asian Football Confederation head Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa who said "the time had come" to end the three-decade ban. Iraq has not played full internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.

FIFA lifts three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international matches

Hundreds of families fled the&nbsp;Syrian town of Afrin towards nearby villages held by pro-Syrian government forces overnight as Turkish forces shelled the town, the&nbsp;Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Turkish forces and allied&nbsp;Syrian militias are targeting Afrin in an offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia in northwestern&nbsp;Syria.

The Observatory said families left the town in buses and cars towards Nubl and al-Zahra, Shi&#39;ite Muslim villages that are loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The&nbsp;Syrian government has sided with the YPG against Turkey in Afrin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that more than 12,000 people left&nbsp;Syria&#39;s rebel-held eastern Ghouta on Thursday.

He also said that any threat from the United States to strike the&nbsp;Syrian capital Damascus would be unacceptable.

The Observatory said Russian jets carried out the strikes, citing its activist network on the ground. Advancing&nbsp;Syrian government forces have splintered eastern Ghouta into three enclaves in an offensive that has been underway for a month.

The latest wave of air strikes hit the southern most enclave of eastern Ghouta, from which thousands of civilians fled on Thursday into government-held territory.

Turkish forces and allied Syrian militias are targeting Afrin in an offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia in northwestern Syria

Hundreds of families fled the Syrian town of Afrin towards nearby villages held by pro-Syrian government forces overnight as Turkish forces shelled the town, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Turkish forces and allied Syrian militias are targeting Afrin in an offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia in northwestern Syria. The Observatory said families left the town in buses and cars towards Nubl and al-Zahra, Shi'ite Muslim villages that are loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government has sided with the YPG against Turkey in Afrin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that more than 12,000 people left Syria's rebel-held eastern Ghouta on Thursday. He also said that any threat from the United States to strike the Syrian capital Damascus would be unacceptable. The Observatory said Russian jets carried out the strikes, citing its activist network on the ground. Advancing Syrian government forces have splintered eastern Ghouta into three enclaves in an offensive that has been underway for a month. The latest wave of air strikes hit the southern most enclave of eastern Ghouta, from which thousands of civilians fled on Thursday into government-held territory.

As Turkey attacks, hundreds of families flee Syrian town of Afrin

Syrian government forces and allied militias have raped and sexually assaulted women, girls and men in a campaign to punish opposition communities - acts that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Thursday.

In a gruesome report, they found that rebel groups in Syria&#39;s protracted civil war had also committed crimes of sexual violence and torture although these were &quot;considerably less common&quot;.

The report also said Islamic State (IS) militants had executed women and girls by stoning for alleged adultery, forced girls into marriage, and persecuted homosexual men.

&quot;It is utterly repugnant that brutal acts of sexual and gender-based violence continued to be perpetrated throughout Syria for seven years by most warring parties,&quot; Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry, told a panel event.

The report, issued as Syria enters its eighth year of war, is based on 454 interviews with survivors, relatives, witnesses, defectors, and medical staff. It recommended that the U.N. Security Council refer the findings to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecutions.

Karen AbuZayd, an American commissioner on the panel, said the documented cases represented the &quot;tip of the iceberg&quot;.

Government forces raped civilians during house searches and ground operations in the early stages of the conflict, and later at checkpoints and detention facilities, the report said. The youngest known victim was a nine-year-old girl.

&quot;Rape of women and girls was documented in 20 government political and military intelligence branches, and rape of men and boys was documented in 15 branches,&quot; the U.N. war crimes investigators said.

The independent experts - who have compiled confidential lists of suspects since 2011 - did not name individual perpetrators but said they had documented &quot;numerous&quot; cases of rapes by high-level officers.

&quot;Sexual violence against females and males is used to force confessions, to extract information, as punishment as well as to terrorise opposition communities,&quot; the report said.

Victims suffered shame, depression, incontinence, impotence and miscarriages, and rejection by their families, it said.

&quot;Some interviewees have indicated it is worse for a girl to be raped than to be killed,&quot; AbuZayd said. &quot;A number of women and girls sometimes commit suicide due to the verbal abuse they suffered in their homes or communities.&quot;

AbuZayd said that rape of men and boys was often overlooked but also devastating. &quot;It&#39;s an exceedingly ugly crime. We know it&#39;s awful for women, but it&#39;s pretty bad for men as well.

&quot;They were forced to have intercourse with one another and with other relatives. They tell you about losing their masculinity, becoming impotent. They were gang-raped or with objects and things, having some really serious consequences of illness and incontinence,&quot; AbuZayd said.

The investigators found &quot;no evidence of a systematic practice&quot; by armed groups to use sexual violence, but some incidents had occurred in sectarian or revenge attacks.

They received allegations of extremist and&nbsp;terrorist&nbsp;groups imposing &quot;mediaeval punishments on men accused of homosexuality&quot;, including throwing them off tall buildings.

&quot;On Islamic State, we recorded women being stoned for adultery, frequently for violations of the dress code, detention and beatings of women including pregnant women for minor violations, and forced physical examination to determine virginity,&quot; said Hanny Megally, a U.N. commissioner.

Karen AbuZayd, an American commissioner on the panel, said the documented cases represented the "tip of the iceberg".

Syrian government forces and allied militias have raped and sexually assaulted women, girls and men in a campaign to punish opposition communities - acts that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Thursday. In a gruesome report, they found that rebel groups in Syria's protracted civil war had also committed crimes of sexual violence and torture although these were "considerably less common". The report also said Islamic State (IS) militants had executed women and girls by stoning for alleged adultery, forced girls into marriage, and persecuted homosexual men. "It is utterly repugnant that brutal acts of sexual and gender-based violence continued to be perpetrated throughout Syria for seven years by most warring parties," Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry, told a panel event. The report, issued as Syria enters its eighth year of war, is based on 454 interviews with survivors, relatives, witnesses, defectors, and medical staff. It recommended that the U.N. Security Council refer the findings to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecutions. Karen AbuZayd, an American commissioner on the panel, said the documented cases represented the "tip of the iceberg". Government forces raped civilians during house searches and ground operations in the early stages of the conflict, and later at checkpoints and detention facilities, the report said. The youngest known victim was a nine-year-old girl. "Rape of women and girls was documented in 20 government political and military intelligence branches, and rape of men and boys was documented in 15 branches," the U.N. war crimes investigators said. The independent experts - who have compiled confidential lists of suspects since 2011 - did not name individual perpetrators but said they had documented "numerous" cases of rapes by high-level officers. "Sexual violence against females and males is used to force confessions, to extract information, as punishment as well as to terrorise opposition communities," the report said. Victims suffered shame, depression, incontinence, impotence and miscarriages, and rejection by their families, it said. "Some interviewees have indicated it is worse for a girl to be raped than to be killed," AbuZayd said. "A number of women and girls sometimes commit suicide due to the verbal abuse they suffered in their homes or communities." AbuZayd said that rape of men and boys was often overlooked but also devastating. "It's an exceedingly ugly crime. We know it's awful for women, but it's pretty bad for men as well. "They were forced to have intercourse with one another and with other relatives. They tell you about losing their masculinity, becoming impotent. They were gang-raped or with objects and things, having some really serious consequences of illness and incontinence," AbuZayd said. The investigators found "no evidence of a systematic practice" by armed groups to use sexual violence, but some incidents had occurred in sectarian or revenge attacks. They received allegations of extremist and terrorist groups imposing "mediaeval punishments on men accused of homosexuality", including throwing them off tall buildings. "On Islamic State, we recorded women being stoned for adultery, frequently for violations of the dress code, detention and beatings of women including pregnant women for minor violations, and forced physical examination to determine virginity," said Hanny Megally, a U.N. commissioner.

Thousands of women, men and children raped in Syrian war: UN report

Seven US troops were killed when the helicopter carrying them crashed in western Iraq, a US defense official said today.

&quot;There were seven people aboard, they are all believed to be dead,&quot; the official said, adding they were US service members.

&quot;It was a routine troop transport operation going from Iraq to Syria, nothing out of the ordinary.&quot;

'There were seven people aboard, they are all believed to be dead,' the official said, adding they were US service members

Seven US troops were killed when the helicopter carrying them crashed in western Iraq, a US defense official said today. "There were seven people aboard, they are all believed to be dead," the official said, adding they were US service members. "It was a routine troop transport operation going from Iraq to Syria, nothing out of the ordinary."

Seven US troops killed in Iraq helicopter crash: US official

Warplanes pounded Syria&#39;s Eastern Ghouta on Friday as Islamist groups tried to resist an advance by Russian-backed regime forces and civilians looked for cracks through which to flee the five-year-old siege.

At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict&#39;s worst crises.

The war entered its eighth year with another deadly assault unfolding in the north, where Turkish-led forces pressed an operation to seize the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, sending thousands more civilians on to the roads.

Turkish artillery fire killed 18 civilians on Friday in the city of Afrin, where remaining residents were stocking up on food in preparation for a fully-fledged siege.

On the edge of Ghouta, a sprawling semi-rural area within mortar range of central Damascus, hundreds of civilians were still streaming out of destroyed towns, carrying scant belongings in bags and bundles.

Exhausted and distraught, the estimated 12,000 people who poured out of Ghouta on Thursday had harrowing tales of life in fear and deprivation, trapped for weeks in their cellars as regime and Russian jets rained bombs.

&quot;We were around 66 families in the basement, with seven people per family,&quot; Hussein Samid said, pausing on the roadside to smoke a cigarette.

&quot;Those of us who were in the cellar got together and decided to leave, whatever the cost,&quot; the 40-year-old said.

Exodus

Hundreds of them were crammed in a centre on the edge of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, unsure what the next step would be after walking straight into the arms of the forces that have relentlessly pounded their homes for weeks.

They were sitting on the ground and had little access to sanitation as the sudden exodus appeared to have caught the government flat-footed.

Despite mild temperatures, most of them were wearing several layers of heavy winter clothes, the same they had kept on for weeks in their freezing basements.

The ground offensive pressed by Syrian troops and allied militia has splintered Eastern Ghouta into three pockets.

Most of the civilians fleeing since Thursday have left from the town of Hammuriyeh, in the south of Eastern Ghouta.

The Islamist and jihadist groups which have dominated this area of the enclave over the past few years retook much of the town they had almost lost a day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

&quot;Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Faylaq al-Rahman have almost completely retaken the town but fighting continues on the outskirts,&quot; the Britain-based monitoring group said.

Few residents remain in Hammuriyeh itself but tens of thousands of others were still scattered across the southwestern pocket, the largest of three still in rebel hands.

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, who was inside rebel-held Ghouta on Thursday when food aid was brought in, voiced his exasperation with the continued bloodshed.

&quot;I am myself with many humanitarian workers on the ground both exhausted and fed up with the blind justification of gross violations against civilians,&quot; he said in a statement.

Afrin encircled 

The Observatory said at least 57 civilians were killed in Russian air strikes on Kfar Batna and Saqba, in the southwestern Ghouta pocket on Friday.

The latest deaths brought to more than 1,300 the number of civilians killed since the start of the ground and air offensive on the enclave on February 18, around a fifth of them children.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has in recent months recovered swathes of territory lost at the beginning of the conflict and Ghouta was one of his key remaining targets.

No deal has been reached with the rebel fighters inside Ghouta, some of whom are jihadists and ex-members of a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

An exodus of similar proportions was under way hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the north near the border with Turkey, as civilians tried to escape a looming siege of the city of Afrin.

The Observatory said on Thursday that more than 30,000 people had fled the city of Afrin in 24 hours and civilians were still trying to slip out on Friday before Turkish-led forces cut the last exit road.

&quot;Since midnight (2200 GMT Thursday), 18 civilians, including five children, were killed by Turkish artillery fire on the city of Afrin,&quot; it said.

On January 20, Turkey and Syrian Arab rebel proxies launched an air and ground offensive on the Afrin region, which is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG).

Ankara has consistently denied targeting civilian infrastructure but the Observatory said at least 245 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed in less than two months.

In seven years, more than half of Syria&#39;s pre-war population of 20 million has been displaced.

At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict's worst crises

Warplanes pounded Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Friday as Islamist groups tried to resist an advance by Russian-backed regime forces and civilians looked for cracks through which to flee the five-year-old siege. At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict's worst crises. The war entered its eighth year with another deadly assault unfolding in the north, where Turkish-led forces pressed an operation to seize the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, sending thousands more civilians on to the roads. Turkish artillery fire killed 18 civilians on Friday in the city of Afrin, where remaining residents were stocking up on food in preparation for a fully-fledged siege. On the edge of Ghouta, a sprawling semi-rural area within mortar range of central Damascus, hundreds of civilians were still streaming out of destroyed towns, carrying scant belongings in bags and bundles. Exhausted and distraught, the estimated 12,000 people who poured out of Ghouta on Thursday had harrowing tales of life in fear and deprivation, trapped for weeks in their cellars as regime and Russian jets rained bombs. "We were around 66 families in the basement, with seven people per family," Hussein Samid said, pausing on the roadside to smoke a cigarette. "Those of us who were in the cellar got together and decided to leave, whatever the cost," the 40-year-old said. Exodus Hundreds of them were crammed in a centre on the edge of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, unsure what the next step would be after walking straight into the arms of the forces that have relentlessly pounded their homes for weeks. They were sitting on the ground and had little access to sanitation as the sudden exodus appeared to have caught the government flat-footed. Despite mild temperatures, most of them were wearing several layers of heavy winter clothes, the same they had kept on for weeks in their freezing basements. The ground offensive pressed by Syrian troops and allied militia has splintered Eastern Ghouta into three pockets. Most of the civilians fleeing since Thursday have left from the town of Hammuriyeh, in the south of Eastern Ghouta. The Islamist and jihadist groups which have dominated this area of the enclave over the past few years retook much of the town they had almost lost a day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Faylaq al-Rahman have almost completely retaken the town but fighting continues on the outskirts," the Britain-based monitoring group said. Few residents remain in Hammuriyeh itself but tens of thousands of others were still scattered across the southwestern pocket, the largest of three still in rebel hands. President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, who was inside rebel-held Ghouta on Thursday when food aid was brought in, voiced his exasperation with the continued bloodshed. "I am myself with many humanitarian workers on the ground both exhausted and fed up with the blind justification of gross violations against civilians," he said in a statement. Afrin encircled The Observatory said at least 57 civilians were killed in Russian air strikes on Kfar Batna and Saqba, in the southwestern Ghouta pocket on Friday. The latest deaths brought to more than 1,300 the number of civilians killed since the start of the ground and air offensive on the enclave on February 18, around a fifth of them children. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has in recent months recovered swathes of territory lost at the beginning of the conflict and Ghouta was one of his key remaining targets. No deal has been reached with the rebel fighters inside Ghouta, some of whom are jihadists and ex-members of a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. An exodus of similar proportions was under way hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the north near the border with Turkey, as civilians tried to escape a looming siege of the city of Afrin. The Observatory said on Thursday that more than 30,000 people had fled the city of Afrin in 24 hours and civilians were still trying to slip out on Friday before Turkish-led forces cut the last exit road. "Since midnight (2200 GMT Thursday), 18 civilians, including five children, were killed by Turkish artillery fire on the city of Afrin," it said. On January 20, Turkey and Syrian Arab rebel proxies launched an air and ground offensive on the Afrin region, which is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Ankara has consistently denied targeting civilian infrastructure but the Observatory said at least 245 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed in less than two months. In seven years, more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million has been displaced.

Death and exodus as two Syria assaults escalate

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria&#39;s regime &quot;finish off&quot; rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave.&nbsp;

Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow&#39;s forces were taking an active part.&nbsp;

&quot;We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement.&nbsp;

Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor.

It has labelled rebel groups from that area &quot;terrorists&quot; who are not protected under the current ceasefire.

Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections.

The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

'We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria's regime "finish off" rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave. Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow's forces were taking an active part. "We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support," he said. Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement. Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor. It has labelled rebel groups from that area "terrorists" who are not protected under the current ceasefire. Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections. The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

Moscow confirms role in Eastern Ghouta offensive

The United States on Monday warned it was ready to act in Syria if needed to end chemical attacks and &quot;inhuman suffering&quot; as it pushed for a new 30-day ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council that a ceasefire approved two weeks ago &quot;has failed&quot; and circulated a new draft resolution calling for a 30-day truce in the rebel enclave and Damascus.

&quot;This is no ceasefire. This is the Assad regime, Iran, and Russia continuing to wage war against their political opponents,&quot; Haley said.

The US ambassador recalled that President Donald Trump had ordered missile strikes on a Syrian air base in April last year in retaliation for a sarin gas attack blamed on President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces.

&quot;We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime: the United States remains prepared to act if we must,&quot; Haley said.

&quot;It is not the path we prefer, but it is a path we have demonstrated we will take, and we are prepared to take again,&quot; Haley said.

&quot;When the international community consistently fails to act, there are times when states are compelled to take their own action.&quot;

The US-drafted text seen by AFP would decide on a 30-day cessation of hostilities throughout Eastern Ghouta and Damascus City to begin immediately upon adoption.

The draft resolution would allow &quot;safe, unimpeded and sustained access&quot; for humanitarian aid convoys and &quot;safe, unconditional, medical evacuations in Eastern Ghouta.&quot;

A Syrian opposition representative told the council at a separate meeting that military action was a feasible option to stop the violence and force the Syrian government to the negotiating table.

Hadi al-Bahra, of the Syrian negotiation commission, said &quot;the threat, and if necessary use of limited military action&quot; was necessary to deter violations of the ceasefire. On Monday, Syrian forces pounded two rebel towns in Eastern Ghouta, pressing on with a Russia-backed offensive that has so far allowed government fighters to retake nearly 60 percent of the enclave.

At least 1,162 civilians have been killed, including 241 children in the nearly month-long offensive, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

More than 1,000 people, including many children, are in urgent need of evacuation, according to the United Nations.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia hit back at the United States and its allies for &quot;doing nothing but constantly blaming the Syrian regime and putting demands on Russia.&quot;

&quot;The government of Syria has every right to try to remove the threat to the safety of its citizens,&quot; the Russian ambassador said.

&quot;The suburbs of Damascus cannot remain a hotbed of terrorism.&quot;

The ceasefire resolution was never intended to put in place an immediate truce, he said.

&quot;What we are talking about is a preliminary agreement among the parties as a preconditon for sustained de-escalation in all difficult areas of Syria, not only Eastern Ghouta,&quot; he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council that air strikes, shelling and ground offensives had intensified in Eastern Ghouta since the ceasefire resolution was adopted on February 24.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre piled pressure on Russia to halt operations and push the Syrian government to end its offensive, saying &quot;Russia can stop the bloodbath.&quot;

&quot;We all know that Russia has not been able or willing to stop this military offensive yet,&quot; he told reporters ahead of the meeting.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council that a ceasefire approved two weeks ago 'has failed'

The United States on Monday warned it was ready to act in Syria if needed to end chemical attacks and "inhuman suffering" as it pushed for a new 30-day ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council that a ceasefire approved two weeks ago "has failed" and circulated a new draft resolution calling for a 30-day truce in the rebel enclave and Damascus. "This is no ceasefire. This is the Assad regime, Iran, and Russia continuing to wage war against their political opponents," Haley said. The US ambassador recalled that President Donald Trump had ordered missile strikes on a Syrian air base in April last year in retaliation for a sarin gas attack blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. "We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime: the United States remains prepared to act if we must," Haley said. "It is not the path we prefer, but it is a path we have demonstrated we will take, and we are prepared to take again," Haley said. "When the international community consistently fails to act, there are times when states are compelled to take their own action." The US-drafted text seen by AFP would decide on a 30-day cessation of hostilities throughout Eastern Ghouta and Damascus City to begin immediately upon adoption. The draft resolution would allow "safe, unimpeded and sustained access" for humanitarian aid convoys and "safe, unconditional, medical evacuations in Eastern Ghouta." A Syrian opposition representative told the council at a separate meeting that military action was a feasible option to stop the violence and force the Syrian government to the negotiating table. Hadi al-Bahra, of the Syrian negotiation commission, said "the threat, and if necessary use of limited military action" was necessary to deter violations of the ceasefire. On Monday, Syrian forces pounded two rebel towns in Eastern Ghouta, pressing on with a Russia-backed offensive that has so far allowed government fighters to retake nearly 60 percent of the enclave. At least 1,162 civilians have been killed, including 241 children in the nearly month-long offensive, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. More than 1,000 people, including many children, are in urgent need of evacuation, according to the United Nations. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia hit back at the United States and its allies for "doing nothing but constantly blaming the Syrian regime and putting demands on Russia." "The government of Syria has every right to try to remove the threat to the safety of its citizens," the Russian ambassador said. "The suburbs of Damascus cannot remain a hotbed of terrorism." The ceasefire resolution was never intended to put in place an immediate truce, he said. "What we are talking about is a preliminary agreement among the parties as a preconditon for sustained de-escalation in all difficult areas of Syria, not only Eastern Ghouta," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council that air strikes, shelling and ground offensives had intensified in Eastern Ghouta since the ceasefire resolution was adopted on February 24. French Ambassador Francois Delattre piled pressure on Russia to halt operations and push the Syrian government to end its offensive, saying "Russia can stop the bloodbath." "We all know that Russia has not been able or willing to stop this military offensive yet," he told reporters ahead of the meeting.

US threatens to act in Syria as it pushes new UN ceasefire

The Russian military will respond to a US&nbsp;strike on Syria, targeting any missiles and launchers involved in such an attack, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday.

RIA cited Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff, as saying that Moscow would retaliate if the lives of Russian servicemen in Syria were threatened.

Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff, said that Moscow would retaliate if the lives of Russian servicemen in Syria were threatened

The Russian military will respond to a US strike on Syria, targeting any missiles and launchers involved in such an attack, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday. RIA cited Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff, as saying that Moscow would retaliate if the lives of Russian servicemen in Syria were threatened.

Russian military says will respond if US strikes Syria

The Turkish army and allied Syrian rebels have surrounded the city of Afrin in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish militia that is the key target of Ankara&#39;s cross-border operation, the military said Tuesday.

The Turkish forces, who had been looking to complete the encirclement in a two-pronged movement from the east and the west, had Afrin city surrounded on Monday, the army said in a statement quoted by state media, without giving further details.

The surrounding of Afrin city is a key step in Turkey&#39;s seven-week operation Olive Branch launched on January 20 and aimed at ousting the Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG) from the Afrin region of northern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that hundreds of civilians had already fled Afrin as Turkey advanced.

&quot;More than 2,000 civilians have arrived in the area of Nubul&quot; controlled by pro-regime forces, it said, adding that hundreds more were still on the road.

Afrin city -- the main urban centre in the YPG-controlled enclave on the Turkish border -- is home to around 350,000 people, the Observatory says.

It remains unclear what Turkey&#39;s next move will be, with some analysts reckoning it will be content to lay siege to Afrin for some time and allow civilians to leave to avoid a high-casualty offensive.

Turkey regards the YPG as a terror group and a branch of militants in Turkey who have waged an insurgency for decades.

But the YPG has been a key American ally in the fight against jihadists in Syria and the operation has raised tensions with Turkey&#39;s NATO allies in Washington and Europe.

Speaking on Saturday, Erdogan said after taking Afrin, Turkey&#39;s offensive would expand to key border towns controlled by the YPG right up to the Iraqi frontier. 
&nbsp;

Afrin city -- the main urban centre in the YPG-controlled enclave on the Turkish border -- is home to around 350,000 people

The Turkish army and allied Syrian rebels have surrounded the city of Afrin in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish militia that is the key target of Ankara's cross-border operation, the military said Tuesday. The Turkish forces, who had been looking to complete the encirclement in a two-pronged movement from the east and the west, had Afrin city surrounded on Monday, the army said in a statement quoted by state media, without giving further details. The surrounding of Afrin city is a key step in Turkey's seven-week operation Olive Branch launched on January 20 and aimed at ousting the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the Afrin region of northern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that hundreds of civilians had already fled Afrin as Turkey advanced. "More than 2,000 civilians have arrived in the area of Nubul" controlled by pro-regime forces, it said, adding that hundreds more were still on the road. Afrin city -- the main urban centre in the YPG-controlled enclave on the Turkish border -- is home to around 350,000 people, the Observatory says. It remains unclear what Turkey's next move will be, with some analysts reckoning it will be content to lay siege to Afrin for some time and allow civilians to leave to avoid a high-casualty offensive. Turkey regards the YPG as a terror group and a branch of militants in Turkey who have waged an insurgency for decades. But the YPG has been a key American ally in the fight against jihadists in Syria and the operation has raised tensions with Turkey's NATO allies in Washington and Europe. Speaking on Saturday, Erdogan said after taking Afrin, Turkey's offensive would expand to key border towns controlled by the YPG right up to the Iraqi frontier.

Turkish forces surround Afrin city in Syria operation: Army

The Russian military said late on Sunday that it had managed to evacuate 52 civilians, including 26 children, from Syria&#39;s rebel-held eastern Ghouta after talks with local authorities.

The civilians, inhabitants of the town of Misraba, were taken to a temporary refugee camp where they were receiving medical aid, the Russian military said in a statement.

The Russian military said late on Sunday that it had managed to evacuate 52 civilians, including 26 children

The Russian military said late on Sunday that it had managed to evacuate 52 civilians, including 26 children, from Syria's rebel-held eastern Ghouta after talks with local authorities. The civilians, inhabitants of the town of Misraba, were taken to a temporary refugee camp where they were receiving medical aid, the Russian military said in a statement.

Russian military says it evacuated 52 civilians from Syria's Ghouta

The United States on Monday presented a new draft resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC) demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria&#39;s rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UNSC that the ceasefire resolution would provide &quot;no room for evasion&quot; and that the resolution adopted by the council two weeks ago had failed as the Syrian government backed by Russia stepped up its offensive in Eastern Ghouta.

&quot;We have drafted a new ceasefire resolution that provides no room for evasion,&quot; Nikki Haley said.

While addressing the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said air strikes, shelling and ground offensives have intensified in Eastern Ghouta and claimed hundreds of lives ever since a UN ceasefire resolution was adopted two weeks ago.

The UN Secretary-General called for aid convoys to be allowed into the besieged Syrian enclave and for the sick and wounded to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, Syrian government forces continued to pound rebel towns in Eastern Ghouta with air strikes as troops edged closer to retaking the battered opposition enclave outside Damascus. Syria&#39;s civil conflict enters its eighth year this week with fighting on several fronts, but the assault on Eastern Ghouta has been one of the most ferocious of the war.

Hundreds of people also fled a Turkish-led advance in the northern area of Afrin, where a Kurdish-majority city is also under threat of being besieged.

Since February 18, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have retaken nearly 60 percent of Eastern Ghouta, whittling down rebel territory to three isolated pockets.

Backed by Russia, the advance has battered Eastern Ghouta with air strikes, artillery and rocket fire, raising widespread international concern and prompting urgent calls for a ceasefire.

The advances come even as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that&nbsp;about <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syria-war-has-killed-more-than-500000-people-in-7-years-monitor-35515">511,000 people had been killed</a> in the Syrian war since it began seven years ago.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the United Nations Security Council that the ceasefire resolution adopted by the council two weeks ago had failed as the Syrian government backed by Russia stepped up its offensive in Eastern Ghouta

The United States on Monday presented a new draft resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC) demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria's rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UNSC that the ceasefire resolution would provide "no room for evasion" and that the resolution adopted by the council two weeks ago had failed as the Syrian government backed by Russia stepped up its offensive in Eastern Ghouta. "We have drafted a new ceasefire resolution that provides no room for evasion," Nikki Haley said. While addressing the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said air strikes, shelling and ground offensives have intensified in Eastern Ghouta and claimed hundreds of lives ever since a UN ceasefire resolution was adopted two weeks ago. The UN Secretary-General called for aid convoys to be allowed into the besieged Syrian enclave and for the sick and wounded to be evacuated. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces continued to pound rebel towns in Eastern Ghouta with air strikes as troops edged closer to retaking the battered opposition enclave outside Damascus. Syria's civil conflict enters its eighth year this week with fighting on several fronts, but the assault on Eastern Ghouta has been one of the most ferocious of the war. Hundreds of people also fled a Turkish-led advance in the northern area of Afrin, where a Kurdish-majority city is also under threat of being besieged. Since February 18, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have retaken nearly 60 percent of Eastern Ghouta, whittling down rebel territory to three isolated pockets. Backed by Russia, the advance has battered Eastern Ghouta with air strikes, artillery and rocket fire, raising widespread international concern and prompting urgent calls for a ceasefire. The advances come even as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that about 511,000 people had been killed in the Syrian war since it began seven years ago.

US presents new UN draft resolution on Syria ceasefire, says 'no room for evasion'

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/plane-crashes-at-kathmandu-airport-several-feared-dead-35505" target="_blank">At least 50 dead, says Nepal Police official after plane crashes at Kathmandu Airport</a>

At least 50 people are dead and 23 injured after a plane crashed Monday afternoon at Kathmandu&#39;s Tribhuvan International Airport, reports said.&nbsp;There were a total of 71 people on board the US-Bangla Airlines plane.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/government-has-accepted-most-demands-of-farmers-cm-devendra-fadnavis-35538" target="_blank">Government</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/government-has-accepted-most-demands-of-farmers-cm-devendra-fadnavis-35538" target="_blank">&nbsp;has accepted most demands of farmers: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis</a>

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said on Monday that their government has accepted most of the demands of the farmers protesting in Mumbai. He also added that they have given a written letter to the farmers.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/inx-media-case-judicial-custody-for-karti-chidambaram-to-be-lodged-in-tihar-jail-35507" target="_blank">INX Media case: Judicial custody </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/inx-media-case-judicial-custody-for-karti-chidambaram-to-be-lodged-in-tihar-jail-35507" target="_blank">for</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/inx-media-case-judicial-custody-for-karti-chidambaram-to-be-lodged-in-tihar-jail-35507" target="_blank"> Karti Chidambaram, to be lodged in Tihar Jail</a>

A Delhi Court on Monday sent Karti Chidambaram to judicial custody till March 24th for questioning in the INX Media alleged bribery case. The court dismissed his plea for early hearing of his bail application.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lashkar-terror-multiplies-co-founder-forms-new-group-35529" target="_blank">Lashkar terror multiplies, co-founder forms </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lashkar-terror-multiplies-co-founder-forms-new-group-35529" target="_blank">new</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lashkar-terror-multiplies-co-founder-forms-new-group-35529" target="_blank"> group</a>

Pakistan&#39;s own protege terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba has split. rattled by infighting. US-designated terrorist and co-founder of Lashkar, Maulana Amir Hamza has formed the Jaish-e-Manqafa.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syria-war-has-killed-more-than-500000-people-in-7-years-monitor-35515" target="_blank">Syria war has killed more than 500,000 people in 7 years: Monitor</a>

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Monday about 511,000 people had been killed in the Syrian war since it began seven years ago.

At least 50 dead, says Nepal Police official after plane crashes at Kathmandu Airport At least 50 people are dead and 23 injured after a plane crashed Monday afternoon at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, reports said. There were a total of 71 people on board the US-Bangla Airlines plane. Government has accepted most demands of farmers: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said on Monday that their government has accepted most of the demands of the farmers protesting in Mumbai. He also added that they have given a written letter to the farmers. INX Media case: Judicial custody for Karti Chidambaram, to be lodged in Tihar Jail A Delhi Court on Monday sent Karti Chidambaram to judicial custody till March 24th for questioning in the INX Media alleged bribery case. The court dismissed his plea for early hearing of his bail application. Lashkar terror multiplies, co-founder forms new group Pakistan's own protege terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba has split. rattled by infighting. US-designated terrorist and co-founder of Lashkar, Maulana Amir Hamza has formed the Jaish-e-Manqafa. Syria war has killed more than 500,000 people in 7 years: Monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Monday about 511,000 people had been killed in the Syrian war since it began seven years ago.

WION Evening News Brief, March 12, 2018

A delegation from Syria&#39;s rebel-held Eastern Ghouta was on Sunday considering a partial evacuation deal to halt a fierce government offensive, a negotiator and monitor told AFP.

The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime.&nbsp;

But on Sunday, as the government&#39;s Russian-backed assault entered its fourth week, influential figures in one rebel-held town were considering a possible evacuation offer.&nbsp;

A committee from Hammuriyeh met with regime representatives on Saturday, a member of the committee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

&quot;The committee discussed a proposed reconciliation that would guarantee exit for those that want to leave, both civilians and rebels, from Hammuriyeh to other areas in Syria under rebel control,&quot; the delegation member said.&nbsp;

Civilians and fighters may be bussed to rebel-controlled parts of Daraa province in Syria&#39;s south, or to Idlib in the northwest, held by rebels and a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

&quot;The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime. If they do not agree, there would be a resumption of the military operation on Ghouta, including Hammuriyeh,&quot; the delegation member added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said negotiations for evacuations from multiple towns were ongoing Sunday.

&quot;A decision could be taken any moment for Hammuriyeh, Jisreen, and Saqba,&quot; said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.&nbsp;

In recent years, the regime has recaptured several areas around Damascus from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals.&nbsp;

But Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, denied it was engaging in talks.

&quot;There are no direct or indirect negotiations with the Russian enemy or its allies,&quot; said the group&#39;s spokesman Wael Alwan.

&quot;No one has been authorised to negotiate on behalf of Ghouta&#39;s revolutionaries, institutions, or the Free Syrian Army.

The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime

A delegation from Syria's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta was on Sunday considering a partial evacuation deal to halt a fierce government offensive, a negotiator and monitor told AFP. The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime. But on Sunday, as the government's Russian-backed assault entered its fourth week, influential figures in one rebel-held town were considering a possible evacuation offer. A committee from Hammuriyeh met with regime representatives on Saturday, a member of the committee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The committee discussed a proposed reconciliation that would guarantee exit for those that want to leave, both civilians and rebels, from Hammuriyeh to other areas in Syria under rebel control," the delegation member said. Civilians and fighters may be bussed to rebel-controlled parts of Daraa province in Syria's south, or to Idlib in the northwest, held by rebels and a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. "The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime. If they do not agree, there would be a resumption of the military operation on Ghouta, including Hammuriyeh," the delegation member added. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said negotiations for evacuations from multiple towns were ongoing Sunday. "A decision could be taken any moment for Hammuriyeh, Jisreen, and Saqba," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. In recent years, the regime has recaptured several areas around Damascus from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals. But Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, denied it was engaging in talks. "There are no direct or indirect negotiations with the Russian enemy or its allies," said the group's spokesman Wael Alwan. "No one has been authorised to negotiate on behalf of Ghouta's revolutionaries, institutions, or the Free Syrian Army.

Delegation from Syria rebel enclave mulls evacuation deal

New air strikes and barrel bombs pounded Syria&#39;s Eastern Ghouta on Sunday as government forces pressed a three-week advance that splintered the rebel enclave and trapped dozens under collapsed buildings.

Defying global calls for a ceasefire, Syria&#39;s government has pursued a ferocious Russian-backed air campaign and ground offensive to capture the region, the last rebel bastion on the capital&#39;s doorstep.&nbsp;

In three weeks of fighting, it has overrun more than half the area and split the remainder into three pockets, isolating the urban hub of Douma from the rest of the enclave.&nbsp;

On Sunday, government troops battered the edges of each pocket with air raids, barrel bombs, and rockets, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

After fighting all morning, they captured the town of Medeira, which lies at the heart of the three zones, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.&nbsp;

State news agency SANA had reported troops were focusing on the town in order to cut rebel access routes in Ghouta. &nbsp;

Bombing runs across several towns in Ghouta killed a dozen civilians on Sunday, bringing the total toll from the offensive to at least 1,111 civilians, the Observatory said.

They include dozens of decomposing bodies still trapped under pulverised residential blocks in the towns of Hammuriyeh, Saqba, and Misraba.&nbsp;

In Hammuriyeh, AFP&#39;s correspondent saw a young man scrambling frantically over the rubble of a collapsed building in search of his loved ones.

His father, mother, and three siblings were killed in an air raid, but rescue workers have been unable to pull them out.&nbsp;

Bodies pile up

Hassaan, a 30-year-old rescue worker, said there were around 20 more families under the rubble.&nbsp;

&quot;We need heavy machinery to get them out, but we can&#39;t bring the machines out into the streets because the regime may bomb them,&quot; he said.

In the main town of Douma, bodies piled up in the morgue as bombardment prevented families from reaching the cemetery, AFP&#39;s correspondent there said.

Families grew desperate for news of loved ones who had fled to other areas that were now inaccessible.&nbsp;

On Saturday, Syrian troops and allied militia cut off the main road leading out of Douma in a major blow to beleaguered rebels attempting to defend their enclave.&nbsp;

Government forces also captured the town of Misraba.

Some residents fled from the advancing troops, but dozens stayed as soldiers recaptured their neighbourhoods.&nbsp;

SANA reported on Sunday that troops transported &quot;dozens of civilians, including women and children,&quot; from Misraba to temporary shelters in government-held zones.

The Observatory told AFP that Misraba was left abandoned after 75 to 100 people were moved out of the town by regime forces.&nbsp;

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is keen to recapture Eastern Ghouta from rebels, who have used the region as a launch pad for attacks on the capital.

On Sunday, four people were killed and six wounded in rebel rocket fire on a government-controlled district in eastern Damascus, state television reported. &nbsp;

It broadcast live footage from the battered skyline of Medeira, saying Sunday&#39;s gains linked Syrian soldiers advancing from the east with troops based on the western edges of Ghouta.&nbsp;

Officials mull evacuation

In recent years, government forces have recaptured several areas around Damascus and other parts of war-ravaged Syria from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals.&nbsp;

A delegation representing Hammuriyeh residents were on Sunday considering such an agreement after talks with the regime, a negotiator and the Observatory told AFP.&nbsp;

The delegation met government representatives on Saturday and discussed a proposal that would offer safe passage to rebels and civilians who want to leave, one of its members said.

&quot;The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime,&quot; the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Observatory confirmed talks were taking place on Hammuriyeh as well as the towns of Jisreen and Saqba.&nbsp;

The two main rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime.&nbsp;

Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, insisted late Saturday there were &quot;no direct or indirect negotiations&quot; on an evacuation.&nbsp;

Eastern Ghouta is home to around 400,000 people living under a crippling government siege since 2013.&nbsp;

The United Nations has demanded a month-long ceasefire there to allow for aid to be brought in and for desperately sick and wounded civilians to seek treatment.

Syria&#39;s regime has also been accused of using chlorine gas against civilians in Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks.

On Sunday, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned it would be &quot;very unwise&quot; for Assad to use weaponised gas against civilians, but delined to say whether doing so would trigger a US military response.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Bombing runs across several towns in Ghouta killed a dozen civilians on Sunday, bringing the total toll from the offensive to at least 1,111 civilians, a war monitor said

New air strikes and barrel bombs pounded Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Sunday as government forces pressed a three-week advance that splintered the rebel enclave and trapped dozens under collapsed buildings. Defying global calls for a ceasefire, Syria's government has pursued a ferocious Russian-backed air campaign and ground offensive to capture the region, the last rebel bastion on the capital's doorstep. In three weeks of fighting, it has overrun more than half the area and split the remainder into three pockets, isolating the urban hub of Douma from the rest of the enclave. On Sunday, government troops battered the edges of each pocket with air raids, barrel bombs, and rockets, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. After fighting all morning, they captured the town of Medeira, which lies at the heart of the three zones, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. State news agency SANA had reported troops were focusing on the town in order to cut rebel access routes in Ghouta. Bombing runs across several towns in Ghouta killed a dozen civilians on Sunday, bringing the total toll from the offensive to at least 1,111 civilians, the Observatory said. They include dozens of decomposing bodies still trapped under pulverised residential blocks in the towns of Hammuriyeh, Saqba, and Misraba. In Hammuriyeh, AFP's correspondent saw a young man scrambling frantically over the rubble of a collapsed building in search of his loved ones. His father, mother, and three siblings were killed in an air raid, but rescue workers have been unable to pull them out. Bodies pile up Hassaan, a 30-year-old rescue worker, said there were around 20 more families under the rubble. "We need heavy machinery to get them out, but we can't bring the machines out into the streets because the regime may bomb them," he said. In the main town of Douma, bodies piled up in the morgue as bombardment prevented families from reaching the cemetery, AFP's correspondent there said. Families grew desperate for news of loved ones who had fled to other areas that were now inaccessible. On Saturday, Syrian troops and allied militia cut off the main road leading out of Douma in a major blow to beleaguered rebels attempting to defend their enclave. Government forces also captured the town of Misraba. Some residents fled from the advancing troops, but dozens stayed as soldiers recaptured their neighbourhoods. SANA reported on Sunday that troops transported "dozens of civilians, including women and children," from Misraba to temporary shelters in government-held zones. The Observatory told AFP that Misraba was left abandoned after 75 to 100 people were moved out of the town by regime forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is keen to recapture Eastern Ghouta from rebels, who have used the region as a launch pad for attacks on the capital. On Sunday, four people were killed and six wounded in rebel rocket fire on a government-controlled district in eastern Damascus, state television reported. It broadcast live footage from the battered skyline of Medeira, saying Sunday's gains linked Syrian soldiers advancing from the east with troops based on the western edges of Ghouta. Officials mull evacuation In recent years, government forces have recaptured several areas around Damascus and other parts of war-ravaged Syria from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals. A delegation representing Hammuriyeh residents were on Sunday considering such an agreement after talks with the regime, a negotiator and the Observatory told AFP. The delegation met government representatives on Saturday and discussed a proposal that would offer safe passage to rebels and civilians who want to leave, one of its members said. "The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Observatory confirmed talks were taking place on Hammuriyeh as well as the towns of Jisreen and Saqba. The two main rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime. Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, insisted late Saturday there were "no direct or indirect negotiations" on an evacuation. Eastern Ghouta is home to around 400,000 people living under a crippling government siege since 2013. The United Nations has demanded a month-long ceasefire there to allow for aid to be brought in and for desperately sick and wounded civilians to seek treatment. Syria's regime has also been accused of using chlorine gas against civilians in Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks. On Sunday, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned it would be "very unwise" for Assad to use weaponised gas against civilians, but delined to say whether doing so would trigger a US military response.

Syria army bombs splintered Ghouta enclave as bodies pile up

Syrian regime forces on Saturday cut off the largest town in Eastern Ghouta from the rest of the rebel-held enclave near Damascus, pressing on with a 20-day assault that has left more than 1,000 civilians dead.

Government troops and allied militia launched their military campaign for Eastern Ghouta on February 18 and have since overrun more than half of the area, defying global calls for a halt to the violence.&nbsp;

The assault has followed a divide-and-conquer strategy, eating away at rebel-held territory, and government forces on Saturday successfully isolated Ghouta&#39;s main town of Douma in a blow for the beleaguered rebels.

Regime fighters cut off a road linking Douma with the town of Harasta further west and also captured the town of Misraba, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

&quot;Regime forces have therefore divided Eastern Ghouta into three parts -- Douma and its surroundings, Harasta in the west, and the rest of the towns further south,&quot; the Britain-based monitor said.

Shelling and air strikes slammed into Douma on Saturday, trapping residents inside their basements for hours, AFP&#39;s correspondents in the town said.

Rescue workers and medics were struggling to navigate the town&#39;s rubble-littered roads to bring wounded residents back to field clinics.

At least 20 civilians -- including four children -- were killed in Douma on Saturday, in addition to 17 civilians in other battlefront towns, said the Observatory.&nbsp;

The deaths raised the assault`s total toll to 1,031 civilians, including 219 children, according to the Observatory. More than 4,350 have been wounded.&nbsp;

Douma&#39;s opposition-run local council issued an urgent &quot;distress call&quot; on Saturday to international organisations.&nbsp;

&quot;The bomb shelters and basements are full, and people are sleeping in the streets and in public gardens,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;For three days, it has been hard to bury the dead because of the intense bombing on the cemetery,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

Eastern Ghouta is the last remaining opposition-controlled zone on the outskirts of the capital, and rebels there have regularly fired rockets onto Damascus.

On Saturday, at least one child was killed and four other civilians wounded in rebel shelling on eastern districts of Damascus, according to state news agency SANA.&nbsp;

Rebels have tried to slow the advance with an attempted counter-offensive, but President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces steamrolled their efforts.

Syrian state television broadcast live footage from Misraba hours after it was captured by the army on Saturday, showing dozens of civilians in a dark basement, surrounded by troops.

One elderly man broke down into tears as he relayed how his family had fled to Douma under fierce bombardment.

Eastern Ghouta is home to around 400,000 people, living under a five-year siege that has made food and medical aid exceedingly rare.

On Friday, an aid convoy by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered food to hunger-stricken residents.

It was the second convoy in one week, after deliveries on Monday were interrupted by heavy bombardment.&nbsp;

The UN refugee agency&#39;s Syria representative, who entered Ghouta with Monday&#39;s convoy, said the area was &quot;on the verge of a major disaster&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;ve never seen such scared faces in my life,&quot; Sajjad Malik said Friday.&nbsp;

He described seeing a five-storey building that had been reduced to rubble, with a powerful stench emanating from several bodies trapped underneath.

Two Islamist groups are the most prominent rebel factions in Ghouta, but jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- once linked to Al-Qaeda&#39;s Syria branch -- also have a presence.

On Friday, 13 HTS members and their relatives were bussed out of the enclave.

Rebels said they would be taken to HTS territory in the northern province of Idlib, in an arrangement struck following consultations with the UN and international players.

Such evacuation deals have been repeatedly agreed in Syria&#39;s seven-year war, most notably in the second city of Aleppo in late 2016.

After a ferocious month-long government assault, thousands of rebel fighters and civilians were bussed out of the city&#39;s east.

That paved the way for Syria&#39;s government to announce the full recapture of Aleppo -- the largest defeat to date for the fractured opposition movement.&nbsp;

Syria&#39;s conflict erupted with protests against Assad but has since developed into a full-blown war drawing in world powers.

Russia has intervened on Assad&#39;s behalf while Turkey has backed rebels against his regime, rival jihadists and Kurdish forces.

Saturday, Ankara-backed rebels advanced against Kurdish militia in northwest Syria, coming to within two kilometres (just over one mile) of the flashpoint town of Afrin, the Observatory said.

Elsewhere in Syria, the White Helmets rescue force suffered its first female fatality on Saturday, after air strikes hit a rebel-held town in Idlib province.

Government troops and allied militia launched their military campaign for Eastern Ghouta on February 18

Syrian regime forces on Saturday cut off the largest town in Eastern Ghouta from the rest of the rebel-held enclave near Damascus, pressing on with a 20-day assault that has left more than 1,000 civilians dead. Government troops and allied militia launched their military campaign for Eastern Ghouta on February 18 and have since overrun more than half of the area, defying global calls for a halt to the violence. The assault has followed a divide-and-conquer strategy, eating away at rebel-held territory, and government forces on Saturday successfully isolated Ghouta's main town of Douma in a blow for the beleaguered rebels. Regime fighters cut off a road linking Douma with the town of Harasta further west and also captured the town of Misraba, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Regime forces have therefore divided Eastern Ghouta into three parts -- Douma and its surroundings, Harasta in the west, and the rest of the towns further south," the Britain-based monitor said. Shelling and air strikes slammed into Douma on Saturday, trapping residents inside their basements for hours, AFP's correspondents in the town said. Rescue workers and medics were struggling to navigate the town's rubble-littered roads to bring wounded residents back to field clinics. At least 20 civilians -- including four children -- were killed in Douma on Saturday, in addition to 17 civilians in other battlefront towns, said the Observatory. The deaths raised the assault`s total toll to 1,031 civilians, including 219 children, according to the Observatory. More than 4,350 have been wounded. Douma's opposition-run local council issued an urgent "distress call" on Saturday to international organisations. "The bomb shelters and basements are full, and people are sleeping in the streets and in public gardens," the statement said. "For three days, it has been hard to bury the dead because of the intense bombing on the cemetery," it added. Eastern Ghouta is the last remaining opposition-controlled zone on the outskirts of the capital, and rebels there have regularly fired rockets onto Damascus. On Saturday, at least one child was killed and four other civilians wounded in rebel shelling on eastern districts of Damascus, according to state news agency SANA. Rebels have tried to slow the advance with an attempted counter-offensive, but President Bashar al-Assad's forces steamrolled their efforts. Syrian state television broadcast live footage from Misraba hours after it was captured by the army on Saturday, showing dozens of civilians in a dark basement, surrounded by troops. One elderly man broke down into tears as he relayed how his family had fled to Douma under fierce bombardment. Eastern Ghouta is home to around 400,000 people, living under a five-year siege that has made food and medical aid exceedingly rare. On Friday, an aid convoy by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered food to hunger-stricken residents. It was the second convoy in one week, after deliveries on Monday were interrupted by heavy bombardment. The UN refugee agency's Syria representative, who entered Ghouta with Monday's convoy, said the area was "on the verge of a major disaster". "I've never seen such scared faces in my life," Sajjad Malik said Friday. He described seeing a five-storey building that had been reduced to rubble, with a powerful stench emanating from several bodies trapped underneath. Two Islamist groups are the most prominent rebel factions in Ghouta, but jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- once linked to Al-Qaeda's Syria branch -- also have a presence. On Friday, 13 HTS members and their relatives were bussed out of the enclave. Rebels said they would be taken to HTS territory in the northern province of Idlib, in an arrangement struck following consultations with the UN and international players. Such evacuation deals have been repeatedly agreed in Syria's seven-year war, most notably in the second city of Aleppo in late 2016. After a ferocious month-long government assault, thousands of rebel fighters and civilians were bussed out of the city's east. That paved the way for Syria's government to announce the full recapture of Aleppo -- the largest defeat to date for the fractured opposition movement. Syria's conflict erupted with protests against Assad but has since developed into a full-blown war drawing in world powers. Russia has intervened on Assad's behalf while Turkey has backed rebels against his regime, rival jihadists and Kurdish forces. Saturday, Ankara-backed rebels advanced against Kurdish militia in northwest Syria, coming to within two kilometres (just over one mile) of the flashpoint town of Afrin, the Observatory said. Elsewhere in Syria, the White Helmets rescue force suffered its first female fatality on Saturday, after air strikes hit a rebel-held town in Idlib province.

Syria army cuts off main rebel town in Ghouta as death toll tops 1,000

The first group of fighters surrendered their arms and were evacuated from Syria&rsquo;s rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Friday, as an aid convoy delivered food to the hunger-stricken residents of the enclave despite renewed bombardment.

Reports say that a group of 13 unarmed militants left Eastern Ghouta, along the humanitarian corridor opened in Muhayam al-Wafideen, Maj Gen Yuri Yevtushenko, the chief of the Russian center for reconciliation of warring sides in Syria, said on Friday.

Some appeared to be young, while others wore hoodies to cover their heads and faces.

The limited operation came as the powerful Jaish al-Islam said HTS fighters would be evacuated to the northern province of Idlib, in an arrangement struck following consultations with the United Nations and other international players.

&ldquo;It has been agreed that the first group of HTS members be released from the prisons of Jaish al-Islam &hellip; (and) moved to Idlib at their request,&rdquo; Jaish al-Islam said.

Jaish al-Islam said it had come to an agreement with a variety of parties, including the UN, to evacuate the fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - an alliance of factions led by the Nusra Front, which sprung from al-Qaeda.

The Syrian government&rsquo;s two-week onslaught in eastern Ghouta has killed around 950 civilians, the war monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

As per reports, the pro-government has taken over half the area.&nbsp;

Eastern Ghouta&rsquo;s 400,000 inhabitants have lived under government siege since 2013 and the enclave &mdash; more than half of which has over the past three weeks been retaken by regime forces &mdash; is home to a myriad of armed groups.

On Friday, a convoy of relief trucks with 2,400 food parcels crossed front lines into the rebel-held Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta and unloaded all its food to the trapped population, despite fighting that the Red Cross said had come &ldquo;extremely close&rdquo;.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/SYRedCrescent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SYRedCrescent</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/ICRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICRC</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a> get ready to enter <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eastern_Ghouta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Eastern_Ghouta</a> again and continue the delivery of Monday&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/humanitarian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#humanitarian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aid</a> convoy <a href="https://t.co/1SFoxqNHsm">pic.twitter.com/1SFoxqNHsm</a>
&mdash; Syrian Red Crescent (@SYRedCrescent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SYRedCrescent/status/972026788863008768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

For eastern Ghouta&rsquo;s civilians, mostly trapped underground with little food or water, the choice of whether or not to emerge to seek supplies may be one of life or death.

&ldquo;People were hopeful after the bombardment decreased and went out onto the streets,&rdquo; said Moayad al-Hafi, a man in the Ghouta town of Saqba. &ldquo;But then air strikes began again, and there are still people under the rubble that we couldn&rsquo;t get out.&rdquo;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Now?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Now</a> :<a href="https://twitter.com/SYRedCrescent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SYRedCrescent</a> teams in cooperation with <a href="https://twitter.com/ICRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICRC</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a> enter <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eastern_Ghouta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Eastern_Ghouta</a> on Friday, March 9, 2018. They will carry out a delivery of a remaining of aid that wasn&#39;t offloaded during the previous convoy on 5th March. The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/convoy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#convoy</a> carries 2400 food parcels, 3240 flour bags <a href="https://t.co/DOTVItM4DQ">pic.twitter.com/DOTVItM4DQ</a>
&mdash; Syrian Red Crescent (@SYRedCrescent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SYRedCrescent/status/972083171268481024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

But &ldquo;shelling&rdquo; near the enclave&rsquo;s main town of Douma threatened &ldquo;to put at risk&rdquo; the joint ICRC, Syrian Arab Red Crescent and United Nations convoy, said the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Ali al-Zaatari.

The aid was delivered as helicopters hovered overhead and warplanes targeted areas outside Douma, a correspondent said.

&nbsp;

Reports say that a group of 13 unarmed militants left Eastern Ghouta, along the humanitarian corridor

The first group of fighters surrendered their arms and were evacuated from Syria’s rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Friday, as an aid convoy delivered food to the hunger-stricken residents of the enclave despite renewed bombardment. Reports say that a group of 13 unarmed militants left Eastern Ghouta, along the humanitarian corridor opened in Muhayam al-Wafideen, Maj Gen Yuri Yevtushenko, the chief of the Russian center for reconciliation of warring sides in Syria, said on Friday. Some appeared to be young, while others wore hoodies to cover their heads and faces. The limited operation came as the powerful Jaish al-Islam said HTS fighters would be evacuated to the northern province of Idlib, in an arrangement struck following consultations with the United Nations and other international players. “It has been agreed that the first group of HTS members be released from the prisons of Jaish al-Islam … (and) moved to Idlib at their request,” Jaish al-Islam said. Jaish al-Islam said it had come to an agreement with a variety of parties, including the UN, to evacuate the fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - an alliance of factions led by the Nusra Front, which sprung from al-Qaeda. The Syrian government’s two-week onslaught in eastern Ghouta has killed around 950 civilians, the war monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. As per reports, the pro-government has taken over half the area. Eastern Ghouta’s 400,000 inhabitants have lived under government siege since 2013 and the enclave — more than half of which has over the past three weeks been retaken by regime forces — is home to a myriad of armed groups. On Friday, a convoy of relief trucks with 2,400 food parcels crossed front lines into the rebel-held Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta and unloaded all its food to the trapped population, despite fighting that the Red Cross said had come “extremely close”. #BREAKING: @SYRedCrescent,@ICRC & @UN get ready to enter #Eastern_Ghouta again and continue the delivery of Monday's #humanitarian #aid convoy pic.twitter.com/1SFoxqNHsm — Syrian Red Crescent (@SYRedCrescent) March 9, 2018 × For eastern Ghouta’s civilians, mostly trapped underground with little food or water, the choice of whether or not to emerge to seek supplies may be one of life or death. “People were hopeful after the bombardment decreased and went out onto the streets,” said Moayad al-Hafi, a man in the Ghouta town of Saqba. “But then air strikes began again, and there are still people under the rubble that we couldn’t get out.” #Now :@SYRedCrescent teams in cooperation with @ICRC and @UN enter #Eastern_Ghouta on Friday, March 9, 2018. They will carry out a delivery of a remaining of aid that wasn't offloaded during the previous convoy on 5th March. The #convoy carries 2400 food parcels, 3240 flour bags pic.twitter.com/DOTVItM4DQ — Syrian Red Crescent (@SYRedCrescent) March 9, 2018 × But “shelling” near the enclave’s main town of Douma threatened “to put at risk” the joint ICRC, Syrian Arab Red Crescent and United Nations convoy, said the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Ali al-Zaatari. The aid was delivered as helicopters hovered overhead and warplanes targeted areas outside Douma, a correspondent said.

First group of militants leave Eastern Ghouta, convoy delivers aid

The Syrian army has effectively sliced rebel-held eastern Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east are poised to link up with troops at the enclave`s western edge, a pro-Damascus military commander said on Thursday.

A rebel official denied the commander`s claim.

The remaining sliver of territory linking the northern and southern parts of the enclave is just 1 km wide and is within firing range of government forces.

In military terms, that means the territory had been bisected, the commander told.

The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, confirmed a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said late on Wednesday that the enclave had effectively been sliced in two.

Wael Alwan, the Istanbul-based spokesman for Failaq al-Rahman, one of the main rebel groups in eastern Ghouta, denied that the territory had been cut in half.

A rebel official denied the commander`s claim

The Syrian army has effectively sliced rebel-held eastern Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east are poised to link up with troops at the enclave`s western edge, a pro-Damascus military commander said on Thursday. A rebel official denied the commander`s claim. The remaining sliver of territory linking the northern and southern parts of the enclave is just 1 km wide and is within firing range of government forces. In military terms, that means the territory had been bisected, the commander told. The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, confirmed a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said late on Wednesday that the enclave had effectively been sliced in two. Wael Alwan, the Istanbul-based spokesman for Failaq al-Rahman, one of the main rebel groups in eastern Ghouta, denied that the territory had been cut in half.

Pro-Damascus commander says eastern Ghouta effectively sliced in two

AIMIM leader Tauhid Siddiqui has filed a complaint against spiritual leader <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/our-country-should-not-become-like-syria-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-34792" target="_blank">Sri Sri Ravi Shankar </a>over his Syria comment.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lucknow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lucknow</a>: AIMIM leader Tauhid Siddiqui files complaint against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over his Syria comment. <a href="https://t.co/VsNqKWhPtk">pic.twitter.com/VsNqKWhPtk</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/971703771754528768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Referring to the Ayodhya&nbsp;Babri dispute the spiritual leader on Monday said&nbsp;that situations like Syria should not arise in the country.

He had also said&nbsp;Ayodhya is not the religious place of Muslim community and therefore they should not stake claim over it.&nbsp;

He added that Islam&nbsp;never allows&nbsp;the building of a mosque on a conflicted land.&nbsp;

Ravi Shankar said&nbsp;that the issue will not be resolved even after the Supreme court delivers its&nbsp;verdict, as no group will&nbsp;be ready to accept its loss.&nbsp;

The founder of &quot;Art of Living&quot;&nbsp;has been involved in solving the disputed Ayodhya issue outside the Supreme Court.

Since the past one year, the spiritual guru has personally met with over 500 leaders in Ayodhya, Bangalore,&nbsp;Lucknow, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Ravi Shankar&nbsp;had said earlier that there&nbsp;was a good cooperation in resolving the Ayodhya case from the Muslim community of the country.&nbsp;

Referring to the Ayodhya Babri dispute the spiritual leader on Monday said that situations like Syria should not arise in the country

AIMIM leader Tauhid Siddiqui has filed a complaint against spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over his Syria comment. #Lucknow: AIMIM leader Tauhid Siddiqui files complaint against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over his Syria comment. pic.twitter.com/VsNqKWhPtk — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2018 × Referring to the Ayodhya Babri dispute the spiritual leader on Monday said that situations like Syria should not arise in the country. He had also said Ayodhya is not the religious place of Muslim community and therefore they should not stake claim over it. He added that Islam never allows the building of a mosque on a conflicted land. Ravi Shankar said that the issue will not be resolved even after the Supreme court delivers its verdict, as no group will be ready to accept its loss. The founder of "Art of Living" has been involved in solving the disputed Ayodhya issue outside the Supreme Court. Since the past one year, the spiritual guru has personally met with over 500 leaders in Ayodhya, Bangalore, Lucknow, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Ravi Shankar had said earlier that there was a good cooperation in resolving the Ayodhya case from the Muslim community of the country.

AIMIM leader Tauhid Siddiqui files complaint against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for Syria comment

Hundreds of more pro-regime fighters have been deployed to front lines in Syria&#39;s Eastern Ghouta, a monitor said on Wednesday, tightening the noose around the shrinking rebel enclave.

&quot;At least 700 Afghan, Palestinian, and Syrian loyalist militiamen came from Aleppo and were sent late Tuesday to Ghouta,&quot; said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitor said the reinforcements were deployed to two main battlefronts on the western side of the enclave, including the town of Harasta.

The Syrian army and allied militia launched an offensive on February 18 to retake Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel-controlled region near the capital city of Damascus.

They have since recaptured more than 40 percent of the enclave with support from a devastating bombing campaign that has killed more than 800 civilians.

By Wednesday, government troops were at the edges of several key towns, including Misraba, Beit Sawa, Jisreen and Hammuriyeh.

Some AFP correspondents in Eastern Ghouta heard warplanes overhead carrying all out strikes on the battleground towns.

Two barrel bombs hit Al-Rihan, near the enclave&#39;s largest town of Douma.

The raids came despite a daily &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; announced by Russia last week that is meant to bring calm to Eastern Ghouta between 9:00 am (0700 GMT) and 2:00 pm each day. Moscow&#39;s initiative has fallen short of the UN Security Council&#39;s demand more than a week ago for an immediate ceasefire for Eastern Ghouta. The council is to meet at 1500 GMT on Wednesday to discuss the failure of the truce to take hold.

The Britain-based monitor said the reinforcements were deployed to two main battlefronts on the western side of the enclave, including the town of Harasta

Hundreds of more pro-regime fighters have been deployed to front lines in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, a monitor said on Wednesday, tightening the noose around the shrinking rebel enclave. "At least 700 Afghan, Palestinian, and Syrian loyalist militiamen came from Aleppo and were sent late Tuesday to Ghouta," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based monitor said the reinforcements were deployed to two main battlefronts on the western side of the enclave, including the town of Harasta. The Syrian army and allied militia launched an offensive on February 18 to retake Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel-controlled region near the capital city of Damascus. They have since recaptured more than 40 percent of the enclave with support from a devastating bombing campaign that has killed more than 800 civilians. By Wednesday, government troops were at the edges of several key towns, including Misraba, Beit Sawa, Jisreen and Hammuriyeh. Some AFP correspondents in Eastern Ghouta heard warplanes overhead carrying all out strikes on the battleground towns. Two barrel bombs hit Al-Rihan, near the enclave's largest town of Douma. The raids came despite a daily "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia last week that is meant to bring calm to Eastern Ghouta between 9:00 am (0700 GMT) and 2:00 pm each day. Moscow's initiative has fallen short of the UN Security Council's demand more than a week ago for an immediate ceasefire for Eastern Ghouta. The council is to meet at 1500 GMT on Wednesday to discuss the failure of the truce to take hold.

Syria regime sends hundreds of reinforcements to Ghouta: Monitor

The Islamic State group in Afghanistan is inviting Muslims worldwide to come to the war-torn country if they cannot reach Syria or Iraq, as it seeks to expand its foothold.

A 25-minute propaganda film released by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) on March 4 promotes IS strongholds in Afghanistan&#39;s north and east as an &quot;option for immigration&quot;, the SITE Intelligence Group said on Tuesday.

&quot;O you Muslims in every corner of the world! Immigrate to Khorasan! If you are incapable of immigrating to Iraq and Sham (Syria), come to Khorasan,&quot; a fighter said on the video.

The name Khorasan refers to a historic region which includes parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighbouring countries.

The video comes amid growing concerns that IS fighters fleeing battlefields in Syria and Iraq are finding their way to Afghanistan, where the group has a small but potent presence.

It was recently reported that French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, had joined IS in the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan.

A German national was also recently arrested with the Taliban in the restive southern province of Helmand, Afghan officials said last week. He is one of the only Europeans found among the militants throughout the 16-year war.

The IS video published with an Arabic narration showed some fighters delivering messages in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek languages.&nbsp;

It opens with a narration mocking US President Donald Trump&#39;s vow to destroy the group in Afghanistan and goes on to show executions of prisoners and the training of child soldiers. &nbsp;

IS-K was attempting to turn &quot;rumours&quot; of foreign fighters moving to Afghanistan from Syria &quot;into reality&quot;, Borhan Osman, told by a senior analyst at International Crisis Group.

But the group would struggle to persuade fighters to travel as far as Afghanistan, said Emily Winterbotham, a senior research fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.

&quot;It&#39;s trying to keep IS-K viable and the IS-K brand going, but the reality is Afghanistan is still a long way away from Syria and Iraq - it&rsquo;s not an easy journey,&quot; she said.

The Islamic State group, or Daesh as it is locally known, first emerged in Afghanistan in 2014 as NATO combat troops withdrew from the country and handed over responsibility to Afghan security forces.

Since then, the group has carried out multiple attacks mostly in urban areas, killing hundreds of people across the country despite a US-led bombing campaign against their known hideouts.&nbsp;

Since 2016 it has dramatically escalated its attacks in Kabul, adding to the dangers already faced by civilians, with the UN citing the capital as one of the deadliest places in the country.

The Islamic State group in Afghanistan is inviting Muslims worldwide to come to Afghanistan if they cannot reach Syria or Iraq

The Islamic State group in Afghanistan is inviting Muslims worldwide to come to the war-torn country if they cannot reach Syria or Iraq, as it seeks to expand its foothold. A 25-minute propaganda film released by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) on March 4 promotes IS strongholds in Afghanistan's north and east as an "option for immigration", the SITE Intelligence Group said on Tuesday. "O you Muslims in every corner of the world! Immigrate to Khorasan! If you are incapable of immigrating to Iraq and Sham (Syria), come to Khorasan," a fighter said on the video. The name Khorasan refers to a historic region which includes parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighbouring countries. The video comes amid growing concerns that IS fighters fleeing battlefields in Syria and Iraq are finding their way to Afghanistan, where the group has a small but potent presence. It was recently reported that French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, had joined IS in the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan. A German national was also recently arrested with the Taliban in the restive southern province of Helmand, Afghan officials said last week. He is one of the only Europeans found among the militants throughout the 16-year war. The IS video published with an Arabic narration showed some fighters delivering messages in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek languages. It opens with a narration mocking US President Donald Trump's vow to destroy the group in Afghanistan and goes on to show executions of prisoners and the training of child soldiers. IS-K was attempting to turn "rumours" of foreign fighters moving to Afghanistan from Syria "into reality", Borhan Osman, told by a senior analyst at International Crisis Group. But the group would struggle to persuade fighters to travel as far as Afghanistan, said Emily Winterbotham, a senior research fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. "It's trying to keep IS-K viable and the IS-K brand going, but the reality is Afghanistan is still a long way away from Syria and Iraq - it’s not an easy journey," she said. The Islamic State group, or Daesh as it is locally known, first emerged in Afghanistan in 2014 as NATO combat troops withdrew from the country and handed over responsibility to Afghan security forces. Since then, the group has carried out multiple attacks mostly in urban areas, killing hundreds of people across the country despite a US-led bombing campaign against their known hideouts. Since 2016 it has dramatically escalated its attacks in Kabul, adding to the dangers already faced by civilians, with the UN citing the capital as one of the deadliest places in the country.

IS group calls on Muslims to immigrate to Afghanistan

The Syrian regime is orchestrating an &quot;apocalypse&quot; that will strike elsewhere following the devastating crisis unfolding in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday.

In his annual report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein said the government&#39;s actions in the area were &quot;legally and morally unsustainable&quot; while warning the next nightmare for Syrian civilians would inevitably arrive soon.&nbsp;

&quot;This month, it is Eastern Ghouta which is, in the words of the Secretary-General, hell on earth; next month or the month after, it will be somewhere else where people face an apocalypse &ndash; an apocalypse intended, planned and executed by individuals within the government, apparently with the full backing of some of their foreign supporters,&quot; Zeid told the council.&nbsp;

&quot;It is urgent to reverse this catastrophic course, and to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The Syrian army and allied militia launched an offensive on February 18 to retake Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel-controlled region near the capital Damascus.&nbsp;

The offensive has been backed by Russia, the government&#39;s key military ally.&nbsp;

They have since recaptured more than 40 per cent of the area with support from a devastating bombing campaign that has killed more than 800 civilians.

By Wednesday, government troops were at the edges of several key towns, including Misraba, Beit Sawa, Jisreen and Hammuriyeh.&nbsp;

Beyond Eastern Ghouta, Zeid said the seven-year-old conflict in Syria was entering &quot;a new phase of horror&quot;, noting rising violence in the rebel-held area of Idlib and Turkey&#39;s offensive in Afrin.&nbsp;

&quot;When you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous,&quot; Zeid said.&nbsp;

'It is urgent to reverse this catastrophic course, and to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court,' the UN human rights chief said

The Syrian regime is orchestrating an "apocalypse" that will strike elsewhere following the devastating crisis unfolding in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday. In his annual report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the government's actions in the area were "legally and morally unsustainable" while warning the next nightmare for Syrian civilians would inevitably arrive soon. "This month, it is Eastern Ghouta which is, in the words of the Secretary-General, hell on earth; next month or the month after, it will be somewhere else where people face an apocalypse – an apocalypse intended, planned and executed by individuals within the government, apparently with the full backing of some of their foreign supporters," Zeid told the council. "It is urgent to reverse this catastrophic course, and to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court," he added. The Syrian army and allied militia launched an offensive on February 18 to retake Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel-controlled region near the capital Damascus. The offensive has been backed by Russia, the government's key military ally. They have since recaptured more than 40 per cent of the area with support from a devastating bombing campaign that has killed more than 800 civilians. By Wednesday, government troops were at the edges of several key towns, including Misraba, Beit Sawa, Jisreen and Hammuriyeh. Beyond Eastern Ghouta, Zeid said the seven-year-old conflict in Syria was entering "a new phase of horror", noting rising violence in the rebel-held area of Idlib and Turkey's offensive in Afrin. "When you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous," Zeid said.

UN accuses Syria regime of orchestrating 'apocalypse'

Syrian government forces pounded eastern Ghouta with air strikes on Wednesday in an effort to slice the rebel enclave in two as they intensified a campaign to deal the opposition its biggest defeat since 2016.

The Syrian government assault of the densely populated area on the outskirts of Damascus, which began more than two weeks ago, has become one of the fiercest campaigns of the war now entering its eighth year, with bombardment killing hundreds.

Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard.

A state TV correspondent said militant defences in the town were being struck by &quot;preparatory fire&quot; in advance of a planned infantry assault. &quot;Mesraba is under heavy attack today,&quot; said Khalil Aybour, a member of an opposition council in Ghouta.

Capturing Mesraba would be a major step towards severing the northern half of the Ghouta, including its biggest town, Douma, from the southern part. Government forces have seized more than 40 percent of the territory so far.

Civilians have been fleeing frontline areas into Douma and hiding in cellars.

&quot;It&#39;s bad in the basement, but it&#39;s better than the bombing,&quot; Adnan, 30, a Douma resident who has been sheltering below ground with his wife and two-year-old daughter together with 10 other families, told Reuters by telephone.

The United Nations says 400,000 people are trapped in the towns and villages of the eastern Ghouta, under government siege for years and already running out of food and medicine before the assault. An aid convoy reached the area this week but government officials had stripped out most medical supplies.

Russia, President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s most powerful ally, has offered rebel fighters safe passage out with their families and personal weapons. The proposal echoes previous agreements under which insurgents, in the face of military defeat, were permitted to withdraw to opposition-held areas at the Turkish border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says 800 civilians have been killed by government bombing and shelling. The Observatory said an extra 700 pro-government militia fighters had arrived at the front as reinforcements to join the operation.

The U.N. Security Council has called for a 30-day countrywide ceasefire, but Moscow and Damascus have not halted the campaign, arguing that the fighters they are striking are members of banned terrorist groups unprotected by the truce.

Russia&#39;s defence ministry said on Wednesday some rebels wanted to accept the proposal to evacuate. So far rebels have dismissed it in public. The military spokesman for one of the main eastern Ghouta rebel groups said rebels would defend the territory and there were no negotiations over a withdrawal.

&quot;The factions of Ghouta and their fighters and its people are holding onto their land and will defend it,&quot; Hamza Birqdar of Jaish al-Islam told Reuters in a text message sent overnight.

The opposition says such evacuation agreements amount to a policy of demographic change by which Assad has forcibly displaced those who oppose him.

In an interview on state TV, a Syrian army colonel expressed confidence Ghouta would fall quickly, saying the people there would return to the &quot;state&#39;s embrace&quot; &quot;very, very, very soon&quot;.

A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said he anticipated that rebels would end up besieged in Douma and then accept a withdrawal deal.

Assad said this week that the majority of people in eastern Ghouta want a return of state rule. But rebels and opposition activists say people fear government persecution.

COMPLICITY

Russian warplanes have taken part in the eastern Ghouta operation, and the White House has accused Russia of complicity in the killing of civilians there.

Defeat in eastern Ghouta would mark the biggest setback for the anti-Assad rebellion since the opposition was driven from eastern Aleppo in late 2016 after a similar campaign of siege, bombing, ground assaults and the promise of safe passage out.

Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt rebel shelling of the capital. The Observatory says such shelling has killed at least 27 people since Feb. 18, and Syrian state media have given a higher death toll.

Assad has steadily recovered rebel-held areas in western Syria since Russia intervened directly on his side in 2015.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about attacks in eastern Ghouta which &quot;reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people&quot; on Monday alone, as well as reports of shelling of Damascus.

Western states have been demanding Russia press Assad to abide by the 30-day ceasefire. The Security Council, where Russia holds a veto, will meet on Wednesday to discuss the failed ceasefire.

The U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein said the government offensive could not be justified by its targetting of a few hundred fighters.

&quot;Recent attempts to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters &ndash; as in Eastern Ghouta &ndash; are legally, and morally, unsustainable,&quot; he told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

&quot;Also, when you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the Government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous.&quot;

Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard

Syrian government forces pounded eastern Ghouta with air strikes on Wednesday in an effort to slice the rebel enclave in two as they intensified a campaign to deal the opposition its biggest defeat since 2016. The Syrian government assault of the densely populated area on the outskirts of Damascus, which began more than two weeks ago, has become one of the fiercest campaigns of the war now entering its eighth year, with bombardment killing hundreds. Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard. A state TV correspondent said militant defences in the town were being struck by "preparatory fire" in advance of a planned infantry assault. "Mesraba is under heavy attack today," said Khalil Aybour, a member of an opposition council in Ghouta. Capturing Mesraba would be a major step towards severing the northern half of the Ghouta, including its biggest town, Douma, from the southern part. Government forces have seized more than 40 percent of the territory so far. Civilians have been fleeing frontline areas into Douma and hiding in cellars. "It's bad in the basement, but it's better than the bombing," Adnan, 30, a Douma resident who has been sheltering below ground with his wife and two-year-old daughter together with 10 other families, told Reuters by telephone. The United Nations says 400,000 people are trapped in the towns and villages of the eastern Ghouta, under government siege for years and already running out of food and medicine before the assault. An aid convoy reached the area this week but government officials had stripped out most medical supplies. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, has offered rebel fighters safe passage out with their families and personal weapons. The proposal echoes previous agreements under which insurgents, in the face of military defeat, were permitted to withdraw to opposition-held areas at the Turkish border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says 800 civilians have been killed by government bombing and shelling. The Observatory said an extra 700 pro-government militia fighters had arrived at the front as reinforcements to join the operation. The U.N. Security Council has called for a 30-day countrywide ceasefire, but Moscow and Damascus have not halted the campaign, arguing that the fighters they are striking are members of banned terrorist groups unprotected by the truce. Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday some rebels wanted to accept the proposal to evacuate. So far rebels have dismissed it in public. The military spokesman for one of the main eastern Ghouta rebel groups said rebels would defend the territory and there were no negotiations over a withdrawal. "The factions of Ghouta and their fighters and its people are holding onto their land and will defend it," Hamza Birqdar of Jaish al-Islam told Reuters in a text message sent overnight. The opposition says such evacuation agreements amount to a policy of demographic change by which Assad has forcibly displaced those who oppose him. In an interview on state TV, a Syrian army colonel expressed confidence Ghouta would fall quickly, saying the people there would return to the "state's embrace" "very, very, very soon". A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said he anticipated that rebels would end up besieged in Douma and then accept a withdrawal deal. Assad said this week that the majority of people in eastern Ghouta want a return of state rule. But rebels and opposition activists say people fear government persecution. COMPLICITY Russian warplanes have taken part in the eastern Ghouta operation, and the White House has accused Russia of complicity in the killing of civilians there. Defeat in eastern Ghouta would mark the biggest setback for the anti-Assad rebellion since the opposition was driven from eastern Aleppo in late 2016 after a similar campaign of siege, bombing, ground assaults and the promise of safe passage out. Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt rebel shelling of the capital. The Observatory says such shelling has killed at least 27 people since Feb. 18, and Syrian state media have given a higher death toll. Assad has steadily recovered rebel-held areas in western Syria since Russia intervened directly on his side in 2015. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about attacks in eastern Ghouta which "reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people" on Monday alone, as well as reports of shelling of Damascus. Western states have been demanding Russia press Assad to abide by the 30-day ceasefire. The Security Council, where Russia holds a veto, will meet on Wednesday to discuss the failed ceasefire. The U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said the government offensive could not be justified by its targetting of a few hundred fighters. "Recent attempts to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters – as in Eastern Ghouta – are legally, and morally, unsustainable," he told the U.N. Human Rights Council. "Also, when you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the Government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous."

Damascus intensifies Ghouta assault to try and cut rebel enclave in half

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who has been facing severe backlash for his recently made Syria remark clarified his stance saying that he did not threaten anyone but put out a word of caution with respect to the Ram Mandir verdict.&nbsp;

&quot;Woh dhamki thodi na hai, woh caution hai,&quot; noted the Art of Living founder who was previously reported saying that &quot;Yahan shanti rehne dijiye. Hamare desh ko Syria jaise nahi banana chahiye&quot;.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Bareilly: Woh dhamki thodi na hai, woh caution hai: Sri Sri Ravishankar over his statement &#39;Yahan shanti rehne dijiye. Hamare desh ko Syria jaise nahi banana chahiye&#39; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/2iTqSKR0MG">pic.twitter.com/2iTqSKR0MG</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/970923169086365696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

On Monday, the Art of Living founder, in an interview with a leading television channel, had said that any delay in resolving the Ram temple issue could result in a Syria-like situation in India.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Main sapne mein bhi nahi soch sakta ki main kisi ko dhamki dun. Jo humne kaha ki humare desh mein aisi hinsa nahi honi chaiye jaise Middle East mein, isse humein darr lagta hai: Sri Sri Ravishankar in Bareilly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pe4vjfN51t">pic.twitter.com/Pe4vjfN51t</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/970930651745660928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;If the Ram Mandir issue is not solved, we will have a Syria in India,&quot; Ravi Shankar said during the interview.&nbsp;

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar&#39;s Syria remark was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/our-country-should-not-become-like-syria-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-34792">slammed by various leaders</a>&nbsp;who called it &quot;provocative&quot;.

He has been involved in solving the disputed Ram Mandir and Ayodhya issue since the past one year.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

On Monday, the Art of Living founder had said that any delay in resolving the Ram temple issue could result in a Syria-like situation in India

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who has been facing severe backlash for his recently made Syria remark clarified his stance saying that he did not threaten anyone but put out a word of caution with respect to the Ram Mandir verdict. "Woh dhamki thodi na hai, woh caution hai," noted the Art of Living founder who was previously reported saying that "Yahan shanti rehne dijiye. Hamare desh ko Syria jaise nahi banana chahiye". Bareilly: Woh dhamki thodi na hai, woh caution hai: Sri Sri Ravishankar over his statement 'Yahan shanti rehne dijiye. Hamare desh ko Syria jaise nahi banana chahiye' #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/2iTqSKR0MG — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 6, 2018 × On Monday, the Art of Living founder, in an interview with a leading television channel, had said that any delay in resolving the Ram temple issue could result in a Syria-like situation in India. Main sapne mein bhi nahi soch sakta ki main kisi ko dhamki dun. Jo humne kaha ki humare desh mein aisi hinsa nahi honi chaiye jaise Middle East mein, isse humein darr lagta hai: Sri Sri Ravishankar in Bareilly #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/Pe4vjfN51t — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 6, 2018 × "If the Ram Mandir issue is not solved, we will have a Syria in India," Ravi Shankar said during the interview. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Syria remark was slammed by various leaders who called it "provocative". He has been involved in solving the disputed Ram Mandir and Ayodhya issue since the past one year. (With inputs from ANI)

'I didn't threaten but put out a word of caution,' Sri Sri Ravi Shankar clarifies on 'Syria' remark

syria

Syria, News on Syria, stories on Syria, articles on Syria, Syria stories at Wion, Syria news, Syria latest news