Regime airstrikes kill 59 more civilians in E.Ghouta

By Mohamad Misto and Ayse Dogru

EASTERN GHOUTA, Syria / ANKARA

At least 59 civilians were killed by the Assad regime and its supporters in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on Tuesday, Syrian Civil Defense sources said.

Regime ground and air assaults on civilians continued in the opposition-held area near the capital Damascus despite separate UN and Russia cease-fires.

Sources from Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said that 59 civilians were killed in bombardments, including three civilians in the town of Harasta and 56 others in the Duma district.

The officials said more casualties are feared as some areas are unreachable due to the intense attacks.

At least 150 civilians have been killed by regime attacks in the last five days.

Since Feb. 19, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Eastern Ghouta, and the death toll is expected to rise further as attacks by the regime remain ongoing.

Home to some 400,000 people, Eastern Ghouta has been under a crippling regime siege for the last five years.

Over the last eight months, the regime has stepped up its siege, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to enter the district and leaving thousands of civilians in dire need.