Syria Deeply: Weekly Update: ‘Surrender or Die Because of Siege’ - Impunity Watch

The most important updates on the war in Syria.

The Basics · The Government · ISIS · The Opposition · Global Players

WEEKLY UPDATE
September 3, 2016

Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:For years, areas under opposition control in Syria have been subjected to blockades, cut off from electricity and water and denied humanitarian aid. This week, the end goal of this Syrian government strategy became abundantly clear.“The technique followed in most battles in Syria … is consolidating areas by besieging the area, and consistently attacking it, even if slowly, because in the end the only option they have is to either surrender or die because of siege,” a Syria-based Hezbollah fighter told Syria Deeply.Over the weekend, the Syrian army took control of Darayya, a town in the Damascus suburbs that has been under government-imposed siege since 2012. Thousands of civilians and fighters were evacuated as the opposition gave up control of the area, putting an end to years of dire living conditions with little or no access to humanitarian aid and subjected to constant aerial bombardments.Roughly 4,000 civilians were transferred to government shelters near the capital and 1,000 rebel fighters were relocated to the rebel-held Idlib province. The agreement also allowed for the evacuation of some 300 civilians on Friday from Muadamiyet al-Sham, just outside of Damascus.United Nations adviser Jan Egeland criticized the forced evacuations in the besieged areas, saying “a siege is not broken by the population giving up after starvation and after bombing.”Rebel losses in the Damascus suburbs came just as other opposition factions launched the biggest offensive against government areas in Hama province since 2014. Among the rebels fighting in Hama are fighters from the extremist group Jund al-Aqsa and several factions from the Free Syrian Army.Opposition forces seized several towns in predominately Christian and Alawite areas since the offensive began, including the town of Halfaya, located near the main road that connects coastal areas with the Damascus-Aleppo highway. More than 50 opposition fighters have been killed since clashes began.Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad increased airstrikes on Hama province in retaliation for the opposition offensive. At least 25 civilians were killed in aerial bombardments overnight on Tuesday.Airstrikes also intensified in Syria’s northern provinces this week. Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish-held areas near Turkey’s border killed 35 civilians on Sunday.

Weekly Highlights:

As ISIS Withdraws, Land Mines Lurk In Northern Syria

As ISIS is pushed out of several areas of northern Syria, militants are leaving behind thousands of improvised explosive devices. The international community must address this civilian danger, writes human rights activist Bassam al-Ahmad.

A landmine disguised as a rock left behind by the Islamic State in the city of Manbij. Syria With No Mines Campaign

Fewer Journalist Deaths in Syria – Because There Aren’t Many Left

The Committee to Protect Journalists spoke to Syria Deeply about how their work has transformed to meet the needs of journalists reporting on and in Syria, a country that has become an increasingly hostile environment for the press.

Turkish journalists holding photographs of their colleagues who lost their lives in Syria, from left, Anthony Shadid, Remi Ochlik and Marie Colvin, stage a protest outside the Syrian Embassy in Ankara. AP/Burhan Ozbilici, File

Milk and Mentors: Helping Syrian Women Support Their Families

From getting formula to hungry babies to teaching women how to run their own businesses, NuDay Syria gives aid and support to millions of Syrians. For the nonprofit’s founder, Nadia Alawa, it’s about helping women and children survive the war with dignity.

Among the projects that NuDay Syria oversees is one that gets formula to infants, many of them orphaned. Courtesy of NuDay Syria

Additional Reading:

Find our new reporting and analysis every weekday at www.newsdeeply.com/syria.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Top image: Civilians sit on a Syrian government bus at the entrance of Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Civilians were evacuated this week after a four-year-long siege in the city. AP Photo