Nine civilians killed as Syria regime strikes shake Ghouta
At least nine civilians were killed on 6 March in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta as fresh regime air strikes and clashes shook the rebel enclave outside Damascus, a monitor and AFP correspondents said.
Regime air strikes killed nine civilians in the town of Jisreen early 6 March, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
With the latest deaths, 95 civilians have been killed in regime bombardment of the battered enclave since 5 March, it said.
Russian-backed regime troops have advanced steadily since launching an assault on the last major rebel stronghold near the capital on 18 February.
As of 6 March they controlled around 40 percent of the enclave after seizing a further area overnight, the Observatory said.
It reported clashes on 6 March in the northeast, centre and southeast of the enclave.
In total more than 780 civilians – including 170 children – have been killed in Eastern Ghouta since 18 February, according to the Observatory.
The enclave’s 400,000 residents have been living under siege since 2013, facing severe food and medicine shortages even before the latest onslaught.
Aid deliveries on 5 March had to be cut short amid continued fighting.
Regime warplanes pounded other areas of Eastern Ghouta including the main town of Douma early 6 March, as well as the towns of Sabqa and Hammuriyeh overnight, the Observatory said.
The strikes on Douma reduced homes to piles of rubble on the sides of roads, an AFP correspondent there said.
An AFP reporter in Hammuriyeh said air strikes overnight targeted the town, with only a few residents emerging from the safety of their cellars after day broke.
On 5 March, the Observatory reported 18 people suffered breathing difficulties following a strike by a military aircraft in Hammuriyeh, without being able to specify the cause of the illnesses.
More than 340,000 people have been killed in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
-
![Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align]()
Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is the country’s first strategic partner under the Defence Industrial Strategy’s Strategic Partnership Framework, an effort to provide companies with confidence to invest and boost the defence labour force.
-
![New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”]()
New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”
The UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones made her first appearance in the role before the House of Commons Defence Committee this week to highlight efforts to improve capability in the High North.
-
![Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes]()
Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes
Ottawa explores expanding defence-industrial cooperation with Washington into sensitive programmes, an approach that could reshape NORAD modernisation, strengthen North American supply chains and create new opportunities for defence contractors.
