Firstpost
  • Home
  • Video Shows
    Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
  • World
    US News
  • Explainers
  • News
    India Opinion Cricket Tech Entertainment Sports Health Photostories
  • Asia Cup 2025
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
Trending:
  • Nepal protests
  • Nepal Protests Live
  • Vice-presidential elections
  • iPhone 17
  • IND vs PAK cricket
  • Israel-Hamas war
fp-logo
Thousands of Syrians displaced by battle for Damascus suburbs look back at years of deprivation
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
  • Home
  • World
  • Thousands of Syrians displaced by battle for Damascus suburbs look back at years of deprivation

Thousands of Syrians displaced by battle for Damascus suburbs look back at years of deprivation

The Associated Press • April 15, 2018, 21:30:41 IST
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter

Thousands of Syrians displaced by the battle for the once-lush suburbs of Damascus now find themselves in a crowded settlement, where for the first time in recent memory they have enough to eat.

Advertisement
Subscribe Join Us
Add as a preferred source on Google
Prefer
Firstpost
On
Google
Thousands of Syrians displaced by battle for Damascus suburbs look back at years of deprivation

Thousands of Syrians displaced by the battle for the once-lush suburbs of Damascus now find themselves in a crowded settlement, where for the first time in recent memory they have enough to eat. The rows of pre-fabricated shelters are home to some 18,000 people displaced by the offensive that drove rebels out of eastern Ghouta. On Saturday, the Syrian government announced the capture of Douma, the last rebel holdout in eastern Ghouta and the site of an alleged chemical attack that prompted a Western missile strike. [caption id=“attachment_4413845” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]File image of Syrian government forces and Russian soldiers overseeing the evacuation of rebel fighters. AP File image of Syrian government forces and Russian soldiers overseeing the evacuation of rebel fighters. AP[/caption] Government forces had laid siege to eastern Ghouta since 2013, and late last year they tightened the noose, causing food prices to soar in the farming region that once served as a breadbasket for the capital. The manipulation of the local market by rebel groups and local businessmen made matters worse. Residents say a day’s work would barely bring in enough money for a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice or a few pieces of bread. Alia Bakkar sold all her belongings so that she and her three children could survive. The 35-year-old widow described how they used to walk by restaurants in their town of Kfar Batna, smelling grilled chicken and beef without being able to afford it. After selling all their belongings and running out of money, the family survived on small amounts of barley bread. “I sold my wedding ring for 10,000 (Syrian) pounds ($20) in order to feed my children,” she said. They are now living with other displaced people in the cramped settlement in Horjelli, where there are no paved roads and sewage pours into a canal. Mayor Abdul-Rahman al-Khatib said the settlement was originally established to host Syrian refugees returning from neighboring countries. Now it’s been filled by the latest wave of displacement in the seven-year-old civil war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that closely monitors the conflict, says 1,77,000 people have fled eastern Ghouta since February, with 1,08,000 going to government-held areas, most in shelters. The rest—including about 12,000 fighters—relocating to the northern rebel-held Idlib province. Many had their houses destroyed during the massive government offensive in February and March, when Syrian and Russian warplanes pounded the towns of eastern Ghouta, forcing residents to shelter underground. Now the displaced are packing into housing units in which more than 20 people share two rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. Many are ill. More than a dozen people were lined up last week awaiting treatment at an aid station set up by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Paramedics say they treat between 800 and 1,000 patients a day, mainly for fever and diarrhoea. A collective kitchen cooks up three tons of food every day, distributing it to residents who line up with their own pots. On a recent day, they received rice and lentils cooked in gravy as well as french fries, tomatoes and cucumbers. “We work about 18 hours a day, starting early in the morning,” said Ziad Ghazal, a 43-year-old volunteer who was displaced from eastern Ghouta. The food, as well as blankets, mattresses and medicine, is supplied by the Syrian government, the United Nations and local organisations. Many residents blame the rebels for their plight and express support for the government. But that might be because they fear repercussions now that they are living in a government-held area and relying on local authorities for food and shelter. Asma Mohammed says she once had to grind animal feed and make bread out of it to feed her three-year-old son. Having spent his entire young life in conditions of deprivation, he doesn’t fully comprehend what it means to have three meals a day. When they first arrived, he ate half a piece of flatbread and then asked her to hide the other half. “I told him there is no need to hide food. It’s available now,” she said. But he still put the bread in her pocket, just in case.

Tags
Syria NewsTracker Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Syrian government Ghouta Syrians Ziad Ghazal
End of Article
Latest News
Find us on YouTube
Subscribe
End of Article

Impact Shorts

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli remains caretaker PM amid chaos in Nepal. Protesters torched parliament, executive seat, Supreme Court, and presidential residence. President Paudel calls for dialogue as violence continues across the country.

More Impact Shorts

Top Stories

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Top Shows

Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports

QUICK LINKS

  • Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
Latest News About Firstpost
Most Searched Categories
  • Web Stories
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • IPL 2025
NETWORK18 SITES
  • News18
  • Money Control
  • CNBC TV18
  • Forbes India
  • Advertise with us
  • Sitemap
Firstpost Logo

is on YouTube

Subscribe Now

Copyright @ 2024. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms Of Use
Home Video Shorts Live TV