Proactive calm prevails and plays a major role within the anticipated agreement about specific areas in the Eastern Ghouta between dignitaries from them and the regime with a mediation of merchants
Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored cautious calm in the terms of the aerial and rocket shelling, prevailing the Eastern Ghouta since last night, except the shelling which targeted areas in Harasta and Jisrayn yesterday after the midnight, where the regime forces targeted places in both areas by tens of shells and missiles, and this calm which has been prevailing Kafr Batna, Hamouriyah, Saqba and Zamalka since last night, and prevailing Arbin and the other areas since today morning, comes in the light of the negotiations taking place between dignitaries from specific towns and cities in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus located in its south-west, and the regime’s authorities, through mediators who are merchants in the capital Damascus.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday, that it obtained information from several reliable sources; that negotiations are taking place between dignitaries from specific cities and towns in the Eastern Ghouta and regime’s authority, where the sources confirmed that negotiations are being carried out through merchants from the Eastern Ghouta who are in the capital Damascus, and they are working to mediate between the regime and elders of the cities of Hamouriyah and Saqba and KafrBatna town, which are controlled by Rahman Corps in the southern section of the Eastern Ghouta, where the negotiations are seeking to reach a solution on these three towns, of which the elders are involved in the negotiations, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today, Monday, the violent clashes have been still continuing since after the midnight of Sunday – Monday, between the regime forces backed by armed militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against the Islamic factions, where the violent clashes are concentrated in the areas of Harasta and Arbin, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces led by Suhail Al-Hassan and under the command of Russian officers and advisers, managed to achieve new advancement in Harasta area and encircle it completely, thus, they effectually separated it, and this advancement enabled them to separate Douma as well, the SOHR also monitored that the regime forces managed to achieve another advancement in the area between Madyara and Arbin, and with this new advancement, the regime forces became in control of 59% of the total area of the Eastern Ghouta, after start of their attack on the 27th of February 2018, while the intensive rocket shelling on areas in Arbin city has been continuing since yesterday after the midnight, and the regime forces also shelled places in Saqba today morning, which resulted in the fall of 7 wounded, and the regime forces also targeted places in Jisrayn town by tens of shells.
In the same context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the number of casualties has increased as a result of the death of more citizens, due to the daily renewed bombardment on the Eastern Ghouta, which witnesses attacks by the regime forces in order to end the presence of the factions in the area and impose their full control over it, backed by a cover of intensive and violent shelling, which destroyed the infrastructure in the cities and towns of the Eastern Ghouta, and left thousands of casualties and wounded, where it has increased to 14 including 2 citizen women, the number of people killed in bombardment by warplanes on areas in Arbin city controlled by Al-Rahman Corps, raising to 1144, the number of the Syrian civilians whose death was documented by the Syrian Observatory in the Eastern Ghouta, including 240 children and 162 women, who have been killed in 22 days by the aerial, rocket and artillery shelling on the cities and towns of Douma, Harasta, Arbin, Zamalka, Hamouriyah, Jesrin, Kafr Batna, Hazza, Ash’ari, Nashabiyah, Aftries, Otaya, Al-Shifonyyah, Al-Marj area, Mesraba, Madyara, Beit Sawa, and other areas in the besieged Ghouta of Damascus, resulted in the injury of more than 4400 citizens including hundreds of children and citizen women with varying severity, some of them have permanent disabilities, while the bodies of tens of citizens are still under the rubble of destruction caused by the aerial, rocket and artillery shelling by the regime forces on the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and the total death toll documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, includes 612 casualties including 99 children and 79 women who were killed and documented by the SOHR after the resolution of the UNSC, which failed again to stop the killing of the people of the Eastern Ghouta, and the shelling resulted in the fall of hundreds of wounded, where the number of casualties may increase because of the presence of serious injuries, amid the tragic humanitarian situation of the people of Ghouta, who intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that they do not leave the shelters for fear of the intensive shelling, amid inability of the medical staff to relieve all medical cases.