Evacuation of Civilians Continues in Damascus Suburbs

At least 300 civilians were evacuated from an opposition-held town outside of the capital on Friday as part of an agreement to break the four-year siege in Daraya in the Damascus suburbs.

Civilians were removed from Muadamiyet al-Sham, a town just outside of Damascus, under the supervision of the Red Crescent, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Civilians will be taken to processing facilities in the nearby government-held district of Hrajeleh, Agence France-Presse reported.

The town is also under siege, but has not been subjected to heavy airstrikes or ground clashes since 2013 when a local truce was signed. Thousands of civilians were already evacuated from Daraya over the last week since the new deal was agreed upon last Thursday. Fighters were transferred to the opposition-held province of Idlib.

The United Nations criticized the Syrian government for its recent strategy of forced evacuations in the besieged areas, stating that dire living conditions essentially force civilians to comply with the government’s terms.

“A siege is not broken by the population giving up after starvation and after bombing,” U.N. adviser Jan Egeland told NPR. “A siege is lifted by humanitarian access and freedom of movement in and out by the civilian population.”

Hama: Intensified Government Airstrikes as Rebels Continue Offensive

Airstrikes increased in Hama late on Thursday as pro-government forces attempt to counter the biggest rebel offensive in the province since 2014, Reuters reported.

The Syrian air force hit three tanks, a rocket launcher and several vehicles in the recent aerial bombardments, according to the state-run news agency SANA. One rebel faction involved in the opposition offensive, Jaish al-Nasr, told Reuters that Russian jets were also involved in the latest airstrikes.

Ground clashes between pro-government and opposition forces were ongoing in the Hama towns of Mardas and Taiba al-Imam, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier this week, a coalition of opposition forces, including the extremist group Jund al-Aqsa and several factions from the armed opposition group known as the Free Syrian Army, launched a major offensive in Hama province, hoping to seize territory in an area where government forces have tried to consolidate their control.

The opposition factions have seized several towns in predominately Christian and Alawite areas since the offensive began. Airstrikes have also significantly increased. Aerial bombardments overnight on Tuesday in the same area resulted in the deaths of at least 25 people, the Observatory reported.

Russia, U.S. Reportedly Closing in on Syria Agreement

Moscow and Washington are getting closer to reaching an agreement on military cooperation in Syria, Bloomberg News reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the two key players in the Syrian conflict are “gradually” reaching a deal that would see the two countries fight together against extremist groups such as the so-called Islamic State and the former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.

“We’re gradually, gradually heading in the right direction,” Putin said. “I don’t rule out that we’ll be able to agree on something in the near future and present our agreements to the international community.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry initiated the proposal in question in an effort to stop Russia from allegedly targeting U.S.-backed rebels in Syria and to work together in the fight against ISIS.

“The talks are very difficult,” Putin said. “One of the key problems is that we insist, and our U.S. partners are not opposed to this, that the so-called healthy part of the opposition should be separated from the radical groups and terrorist organizations.”

Recommended Reads:

• The Century Foundation: Syria’s Rebels Lose a Symbolic Stronghold
• The Nation: Why Is Washington Supporting Fundamentalist Jihadis in Syria?
• Foreign Policy: Al-Qaida Is Gaining Strength in Syria
• The New York Times: Kurds Fear the U.S. Will Again Betray Them, in Syria
• The Guardian: UN Blames Syrian Government Siege Strategy for Expected Evacuations