The Siege of Eastern Ghouta and Seven Years of War in Syria – The Atlantic

More than a thousand people are believed to have been killed in recent weeks as Syrian government forces laid siege to the rebel-controlled region of eastern Ghouta outside the capital of Damascus. The United Nations estimates that 400,000 people still live in the villages and towns in the besieged region, trapped by several rebel groups who won’t let them leave and by Syrian government blockades that block their paths. Despite international pressure to call a ceasefire, Syrian ground forces and Russian-backed air forces have maintained their assault, recently gaining territory and splitting the region into three parts. This battle is just one of many still taking place across the fractured nation of Syria seven years since the start of its civil war.