Syria army isolates Douma as toll tops 1,000

Heavy smoke billows after a bombing in Douma. Pic/AFP

Syrian regime forces continued their offensive against Eastern Ghouta yesterday, a day after they cut off the rebel-held enclave's largest town. Government forces on Saturday successfully isolated Ghouta's main town of Douma in a blow for the beleaguered rebels.

Regime fighters cut off a road linking Douma with the town of Harasta further west and also captured the town of Misraba, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Shelling and air strikes slammed into Douma on Saturday, trapping residents inside their basements for hours. The deaths raised the assault's total toll to 1,031 civilians, including 219 children.

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