A Syrian army colonel said forces will lift the siege on the militant-held Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, making it possible for people trapped in the embattled enclave to return to the “state’s embrace” soon.
“We have received instructions from the army command to lift the siege off our people in Eastern Ghouta,” Reuters quoted the unnamed official as saying on Syrian state television on Wednesday.
“God willing, very, very, very soon … they will return to the state’s embrace,” the official added.
Meanwhile, state television reported that Syrian army units were attacking militants in the Eastren Ghouta town of Mesraba with preparatory fire to secure the entry of infantry units.
Holed up inside Eastern Ghouta, foreign-backed militants have been launching indiscriminate mortar and rocket attacks on Damascus, which have resulted in many civilian deaths.
The Syrian army, backed by Russian air force, has launched an operation to liberate the region.
Syria has established a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to leave the operation zone, while Russia has been enforcing daily pauses in fighting from 09:00 a.m. to 02:00 p.m. local time to facilitate the exit of people.
However, the militants have been blocking the exit of civilians, using them as human shields in the face of the government’s counter-terrorism operations.
Earlier in the day, Syria’s official SANA news agency said buses have been waiting near the safe corridor to transport the people leaving Eastern Ghouta to a housing center set up by the government, but no civilians have so far managed to get out.
Additionally on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that some of the anti-Damascus militants in Eastern Ghouta were ready to accept Moscow’s offer to leave the region with their families.
Source: Websites
