Syrian forces continue to target Eastern Ghouta with rockets, barrel bombs; over 400 civilians killed
Damascus, February 23: The bloodiest episode continues in Syria as the death toll has mounted to over 400 civilians including 95 children after the Syrian Government forces launched a series of airstrikes since Sunday on Eastern Ghouta.
Continuing the intensified airstrikes on Eastern Ghouta, Syrian Government forces fired 46 rockets and as many as barrel bombs on the fifth day of assault which led to the death of over hundreds of civilians. A total of 403 civilians including 95 children were killed while 150 others were injured after the Syrian forces launched a series of airstrikes since Sunday this week.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, "Five days of air strikes and intense artillery fire by the regime and its Russian ally have killed 403 civilians, including 95 children." Meanwhile, the United States accused Russia of having "unique responsibility" for the deaths of civilians in Eastern Ghouta province.
Earlier, the United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres urged Syrian President to stop the assault on the rebel-held area. He said, “The Syrian government's bombing campaign had turned the region into hell on earth for civilians in Eastern Ghouta.” "My appeal to all those involved is for an immediate suspension of all war activities in eastern Ghouta allowing for humanitarian aid to reach all those in need," he added.
Earlier, on February 8 of this year, Syrian government launched a massive air strike in the rebel-held region eastern Ghouta province in which as many as 59 civilians were killed including 15 children while 139 others were injured.
Eastern Ghouta is held by rebels since 2012 and is the last opposition pocket around Damascus but the province is dominated by the Islamist faction Jaish al-Islam. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is keen to retake Eastern Ghouta with an apparently imminent ground assault. So far, over 340,000 people have been killed since the civil war erupted in 2011.