The Syrian regime has resumed their siege on a number of towns in the countryside of Damascus, closing all the checkpoints to Tal, Qodsaya, al-Hameh and Moadameyeh al-Sham.
According to regime sources, the move is in response to the abduction and disappearance of a number of its soldiers, which it considers a breach of the previous truce agreement. Activists claim the regime was first to breach the truce.
In the town of Tal, home to almost a million displaced people, the main humanitarian supply line was closed for seven days after the killing of a soldier on the Tal-Mnin road. Regime forces blocked the entrance of any food or fuel in response, only permitting employees and students to pass.
Regime forces have also closed the main road to Qodsaya and Alhameh since July 21, along with the road connecting Qodsaya and its suburbs after the disappearance of a soldier. Officials have accused local rebels of abducting the fighter, while no group has yet claimed responsibility for the act.
The reconciliation committee has met with a number of regime officers in an attempt to reopen the checkpoints, sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
The regime’s siege on Moadameyeh al-Sham broadened Friday after reports circulated of another soldier’s abduction in the town. Manager of Moadameyeh’s media office “Mohammed Noor” explained the soldier attempted to defect to the Free Syrian Army, but was captured while trying to escape the town. The regime is demanding his releasing in return for the reopening of the checkpoint.
Zaman al-Wasl’s correspondent reported that living and medical conditions had deteriorated in the four towns, as bakeries close and markets remain empty of food and other products.
It is estimated that almost a million displaced people reside live in Tal, half a million each in Qodsaya and Alhameh, and 40,000 in Moadameyeh al-Sham.
