Syria Map Update : Syrian Army Declares Victory in Eastern Ghouta
The Syrian army command has announced that Eastern Ghouta was free of militants, the state media reported. According to SANA news agency, the Syrian army is determined to eradicate terrorism in Syria, no matter what powers would back terrorists, in order to restore security and stability in the country.
“All the terrorists have left Douma city, their last bastion in eastern Ghouta,” the army’s statement said.
At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 21 thousand militants and members of their families have been evacuated from Eastern Ghouta.
Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, head of Russia’s center for Syrian reconciliation, said that 3,976 militants left Douma using buses on Friday. He added that a total of 67,680 have left the Damascus suburb.
The tensions over Eastern Ghouta escalated rapidly last week after several media outlets, citing Syrian militants, blamed Damascus for using chemical weapons in Douma. Syria’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, saying that the use of chemical weapons in the Damascus suburb had been planned by terrorist groups.
The Russian military has also rejected the reports about chemical weapons use in the area of Eastern Ghouta, citing doctors from Douma who had denied media reports about receiving patients with symptoms of exposure to toxic substances.
At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 21 thousand militants and members of their families have been evacuated from Eastern Ghouta.
Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, head of Russia’s center for Syrian reconciliation, said that 3,976 militants left Douma using buses on Friday. He added that a total of 67,680 have left the Damascus suburb.
The tensions over Eastern Ghouta escalated rapidly last week after several media outlets, citing Syrian militants, blamed Damascus for using chemical weapons in Douma. Syria’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, saying that the use of chemical weapons in the Damascus suburb had been planned by terrorist groups.
The Russian military has also rejected the reports about chemical weapons use in the area of Eastern Ghouta, citing doctors from Douma who had denied media reports about receiving patients with symptoms of exposure to toxic substances.
Despite that, the Western coalition members — the US, the UK, and France — fired over 100 missiles on the Syrian targets in the response to the alleged chemical attack in the suburban town of Douma near Damascus on Friday.