Tarek khawam
The military campaign on Al-Marj area began about six months ago, coinciding with the Russian military intervention in Syria, and continued even after reaching a cease-fire agreement, amid accusations by the Syrian opposition saying that the regime agreed on the truce aiming to focus on the Eastern part of Damascus countryside "Ghouta".
Since the beginning of the military campaign on Al-Marj region, regime forces have been trying to separate the southern sector in the Eastern Ghouta from its northern sector, especially after recently succeeding in advancing on the ground; taking no heed of the truce imposed by Security Council resolution No. 2268 last month.
The southern sector in Eastern Ghouta comprises many towns, including "Deir al-Asafir, Zabdin, Bala, Rikabia, Housh Dowaier, and Bayad" , in addition to the towns of "Harasta Al Qantara and Bizayna", that will undergo an absolute besiegement if the regime forces continued advancing in the region. Regime forces detached the towns of "Bala, Zabdin, and Deir al-Asafir" from the rest of villages and regions in Eastern Ghouta, which prompted the local councils and humanitarian institutions to call upon the international community and humanitarian organizations to move and save nearly 2,500 families trapped in Eastern Ghouta and threatened by hunger and disease.
"The regime took advantage of the alleged truce in Eastern Ghouta to seize control over the main road of Al Ghouta. We must range against the regime to stop this barbaric campaign and save the families and children from hunger and disease", according to "Abou Ammar AlShami", a member of the local council in the village of Deir al-Asafir.
He noted that there are approximately 2500 families besieged by regime militias in the towns of "Bala, Zibdeen and Deir al-Asafir", pointing out that no food aids has been provided to these towns by the United Nations, because such countries were not included in the items of the truce as they said.
People of the southern sector are horrified of repeating the besiegement scenario of Madaya in their region.
Regime forces has recently managed to advance in Marj al-Sultan village where less than a kilometer and half is left to separate the southern Ghouta sector from its northern part, which will increase the burden of besiegement on the people and rebels.
The spokesman of Al Rahman corps " Abou Naim Yacoub" said that Hezbollah-supported regime aims at controlling large areas of agriculture lands in Al-Marj region.
"In the beginning, the regime seized control over Marj al-Sultan village, then advanced gradually in the region under Russian support and air cover in an attempt to eventually separate the northern part of Eastern Ghouta from its southern along with tightening the siege on the southern sector, as no arable lands are left but in this sector, the spokesman added.
Regime air force has been targeting Al-Marj region and other villages in the southern sector of Eastern Ghouta since the beginning of the alleged cease-fire, aiming at vital facilities and civilians.
Regime air force committed a massacre in Deir al-Asafir village in the Eastern Ghouta after targeting the only hospital and school in the village, in addition to targeting two civil defense centers and houses of civilians.
"Regime air force targeted the village of Deir al-Asafir with dozens of air raids, claiming before the western world that it's targeting Al-Nusra front, despite their non-existence, according to a doctor witnessed the massacre.
He stressed that more than thirty civilians were killed, most of them children, and dozens injured, most of them are members of the medical staff, in addition to a number of civil defense personnel.
The doctor noted that the aim of the regime by targeting the only hospital in the town is to shut down all the vital centers in it,in order to easily control them on the one hand, and to tighten the siege on the region on the other.
Syrian National Coalition called on the international community to take real and urgent action regarding the massacre perpetrated by Assad's regime against unarmed civilians in the town of Deir al-Asafir in Damascus countryside, especially after the frequent and repeated breaches of the truce.
The coalition warned that the truce is not a restriction imposed on one party without the other, and that the ongoing crimes against Syrian civilians put this truce and the political process entirely under a serious threat. Therefore, international community has to be aware of the dimensions and risks of this threat.
