LATEST: At Least 60 Syrian Troops Killed Trying to Retake Gas Field From Islamic State

SUNDAY FEATURE

Islamic State Hands Out Ramadan Money to Win Allegiance in Raqqa

The Syrian regime claims this morning that it has brought food into the besieged Yarmouk section of Damascus, where 18,000 people have been cut off since July 2013.

State news agency SANA says 1,083 food baskets were distributed on Friday and Saturday under the supervision of the Higher Committee for Relief and the United Nations refugee agency UNRWA. It says 22 ill people were evacuated to hospitals and dozens were given medical tests.

SANA proclaims that more than 36,000 food baskets and almost 3,800 medical baskets have reached the camp since January 30.

However, the UN has said repeatedly that the assistance is far too limited and sporadic to ensure the well-being of residents, following the deaths of more than 120 from starvation and lack of medical care over the winter.

UN spokesman Chris Gunness said at the start of July, “It is now a month since we last distributed aid inside the camp….UNRWA is urgently seeking the resumption and expansion of its humanitarian activities inside (the camp), where conditions remain dire for the 18,000 civilians trapped there.”

See also Syria Daily, June 23: Will a New Truce End Suffering in Yarmouk in Damascus?

The Syrian military imposed the siege on Yarmouk last July after insurgents took control of much of the area.

More than 200,000 people — mainly Palestinians — lived in Yarmouk before the start of the Syrian conflict in March 2011.


At Least 60 Syrian Troops Killed Trying to Retake Gas Field From Islamic State

The Assad regime has admitted that at least 60 of its troops have been killed trying to retake a gas field seized by the Islamic State in central Syria.

Al-Watan, citing a military source, said there were “60 martyrs” in the counter-offensive launched Friday around the al-Sha’er gas field in the Palmyra region.

The Islamic State swept into al-Sha’er earlier this week, killing scores of guards. It also holds Syria’s largest oilfields, located in the east of the country.

Insurgents: We Have Regained Full Control of Morek ih Hama Province

Insurgents have issued a statement declaring that they have regained full control of the key town of Morek in Hama Province.

Syrian forces launched their latest offensive this week in months of attacks on Morek, located on the main highway from Hama to Idlib Province.

The insurgents said the Syrian military, Hezbollah, and militias were able to enter the town but were repelled after three days of fighting. They claim that the regime lost more than 100 personnel and a number of armored vehicles.

See also Syria Daily, July 18: Insurgents Repel Regime Attack in Key Battle in Hama Province