The offensive to recapture the last opposition-held area near Damascus has entered its second day. The loss of Douma city would be a devastating defeat for the Syrian opposition.
Image: picture alliance/AA/Halil el-Abdullah
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Syrian government forces and their Russian allies captured territory on the outskirts of Douma city on Saturday as they continued their offensive into the last rebel-controlled area in eastern Ghouta near the capital, Damascus.
Airstrikes killed eight civilians, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, raising the civilian death toll in Douma to 48 since the offensive began on Friday.
The offensive started after the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Douma was halted on Thursday following a breakdown in talks between Jaysh and the Syrian government and Russia.
Unlike other opposition groups that had controlled territory in eastern Ghouta, Jaysh has resisted any talk of leaving Douma for rebel-controlled areas in northern Syria.
Hardliners within the group reportedly believe its fighters and their families are safer remaining where they are, alongside tens of thousands of civilians still holed up in Douma.
Syrian forces turned their sites on Douma after recapturing most of the wider eastern Ghouta area through a combination of ground assaults and Russia-brokered evacuation deals.
The one-time opposition stronghold near Damascus has remained out of Syrian President Bashar Assad's grip since 2012.
Recapturing the final stretch of rebel territory near Damascus would be the Syrian president's biggest victory since 2016 and underline his unassailable position, despite having been close to being toppled barely three years ago.
Hundreds have been killed in one of the Syrian regime's most intense bombing campaigns since the war began in 2011. DW looks at the devastation inflicted on one of the last rebel-held towns.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets
Enclave under siege
More than 1,500 people have been killed since Syrian government troops backed by Russia launched a ferocious attack on eastern Ghouta on February 18. Airstrikes have reduced much of the area near Damascus to ruins. According to the UN, there were an estimated 400,000 people trapped inside the besieged enclave without access to food and water when the offensive began.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets
'Hell on earth'
The town of Douma, with its 200,000 residents, is now the only remaining Ghouta pocket still under rebel control. The full recapture of eastern Ghouta would mark a significant victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Referring to the month-long assault on the enclave, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded "this hell on earth" be stopped immediately.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
Reports of chemical attack
According to activists and doctors in the region, several people have suffered symptoms consistent with those triggered by a chlorine gas attack and had to be treated in hospital. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the Syrian regime that the use of chemical weapons will result in French retaliation, but the Syrian government claims it has never used this kind of munition.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
300,000 killed
A man and child look at the remains of a missile in Douma, the largest in eastern Ghouta. More than 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011, when the government cracked down on protesters who were calling for the release of political prisoners and for President Assad to step down.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
'Rapid spread of malnutrition'
Activists say people in Douma have little food or water. Marten Mylius, the emergency relief coordinator for CARE in the Middle East, told DW that "after the tunnels were destroyed and the crossings closed, the price of basic foods skyrocketed. One kilo of rice now costs $4.50 (€3.66). A lot of people cannot afford that anymore. In other words, we are witnessing a rapid spread of malnutrition."
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
At the mercy of the regime
Aid access to eastern Ghouta is difficult because there is no direct route from neighboring countries. "In Idlib, for example...you can get in directly from the Turkish border. You can wait with supplies at the border and then bring in the convoy. It is much more difficult in eastern Ghouta," Mylius told DW.
