Child dies as Syrian regime attacks de-escalation zone

DAMASCUS

At least one child was killed on Friday when Syrian regime warplanes attacked the Kafr Batna region of Eastern Ghouta, which is located inside one of the recently established de-escalation zones where such acts are forbidden.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mahmoud Ethem, a member of Syria’s White Helmet civil defense forces said that 14 other civilians were wounded in the missile strikes.

The casualties were taken to nearby field hospitals, he said, adding the attack also left many houses destroyed.

Eastern Ghouta has been under siege by the Assad regime for the last five years.

At a meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana on May 4, the guarantor countries -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran -- signed a deal to establish de-escalation zones in Syria to ensure the continuation of a cease-fire deal reached last December.

During the talks, Eastern Ghouta was designated part of a network of de-escalation zones in which acts of aggression would be expressly forbidden.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN officials.

Reporting by Halit Suleyman; Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan;