New York Times: ‘Humanitarian Pause’ in Syria: More Fighting, More Death
BEIRUT, Lebanon — In Damascus suburbs that have been under ferocious attack by the Syrian government, the first day of a Russia-declared cease-fire on Tuesday failed to yield the promised results: Civilians did not evacuate, the wounded were not ferried out, humanitarian aid did not flow in, and fighting persisted.
The fruitlessness of what Russia has labeled a “humanitarian pause” in eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held enclave, is the latest in a string of proclaimed truces in the seven-year-old civil war that have failed to stop the bloodshed. Russia, an ally of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, called on Monday for a daily, five-hour suspension of fighting in eastern Ghouta, just two days after the United Nations called for a 30-day, nationwide cease-fire.
In the last 10 days, the Syrian government has undertaken one of the most intense bombardments of the offensive against eastern Ghouta, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, says has killed more than 500 people and injured thousands. Despite the United Nations demand for a truce, the government has continued shelling an area where an estimated 393,000 people, mostly civilians, remain trapped.
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WNU Editor: There is .... to put it bluntly .... no ceasefire.
More News On The Complete Failure Of The Syrian Ceasefire For The Damascus Suburb Of Ghouta
Russian truce plan fails to halt bombing of Syria's Ghouta -- Reuters
Russia-ordered ‘pause’ in Syria fails to ease suffering -- AP
Fighting continues in Syria enclave despite truce: UN -- AFP
Syrian government bombing of Eastern Ghouta continues, despite Russian pause -- ABC News
Russian truce plan fails to halt bombing of Syria's Ghouta -- Reuters
Syrian Forces Continue Bombardment of Besieged Eastern Ghouta -- Wall Street Journal
Russia Says It Will Maintain Daily Truces in Syria's Ghouta -- US News and World Report
