BEIRUT, (MILLAT+APP/AFP) – At least nine people, among them
seven government soldiers, were killed in fighting near the Syrian
capital Damascus overnight, despite a fragile nationwide truce, a
monitor said on Saturday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting was
continuing on Saturday in Wadi Barada, a rebel-held district
northwest of Damascus that is home to the capital’s main water
source.
The Britain-based monitor said the overnight fighting had
killed at least seven Syrian soldiers and wounded around 20 others,
some of whom were in serious condition.
Two civilians were also killed in the violence, the
group said.
Water supplies from Wadi Barada have been cut since
December 22.
The regime and the rebels have traded accusations of
responsibility, with the government saying the rebels deliberately
targeted water infrastructure and the opposition saying army
strikes hit pumping facilities.
Fighting has continued in the area despite the start on
December 30 of a nationwide truce brokered by regime ally Russia
and opposition backer Turkey.
The ceasefire, accepted by both the government and key
rebel groups, has brought quiet to large parts of Syria, but
the violence has continued in Wadi Barada.