United Nations, Feb 27 : Ongoing attacks by Syrian Government forces and their allies has created “hell on Earth” for civilians stuck in a rebel-held Damascus suburb, the UN’s chief said as air strikes and ground operations continued despite a days-old ceasefire.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, ordered a “humanitarian pause” from 9am-2pm local time on Tuesday to allow civilians to evacuate Eastern Ghouta, the Al Jazeera reported.
The bombardment of rebel-held enclave over the past week has been one of the heaviest of Syria’s seven-year war, killing more than 550 people in eight days, according to a toll compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.
Rebel shelling has caused 36 deaths and a number of injuries in Damascus and nearby rural areas in the last four days, Zaher Hajjo, a government health official, told Reuters news agency.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for an immediate implementation of Saturday’s Security Council resolution for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria.
Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Guterres described the situation in Eastern Ghouta as “hell on Earth”.
“I remind all parties of their absolute obligation and international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times,” he said.
“Similarly, efforts to combat ‘terrorism’ do not supersede these obligations,” he added.
The remarks come as doctors in the enclave accused the Syrian government of launching a chlorine gas attack in the town of Al-Shifaniyah in Eastern Ghouta.
Syria’s Civil Defence rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said on Sunday at least one child died as a result of suffocation.
According to the Syrian opposition’s health officials, victims were showing symptoms “consistent with exposure to toxic chlorine gas”.
Russia’s foreign minister denounced the allegations that gas was used.
“There are already bogus stories in the media that yesterday chlorine was used in Eastern Ghouta, citing an anonymous individual living in the United States,” Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference.
On Sunday, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces launched a ground offensive against opposition groups from multiple fronts, in an attempt to penetrate into the besieged enclave, which has been under rebel control since 2013.
The two major rebel factions in Eastern Ghouta are Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman. Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of opposition fighters, also has a small presence there.
(UNI)
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