Syria bombs Douma despite use of human shields

The Syrian government has continued its air strikes on a Damascus suburb despite the Jaish al-Islam opposition group using dozens of prisoners from President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect as human shields

29 April 2016, 10:03am
by Staff Reporter

1 min read

Syrian rebels are using captive relatives of Assad's government as human shields

A video posted online showed the prisoners in cages on the back of pick-up trucks driving through opposition strongholds of Douma and Eastern Ghouta.

Local residents confirmed that Jaish al-Islam - an anti-Assad armed opposition group - has also been periodically moving the prisoners to the rooftops of homes as a supposed deterrent to incessant government air strikes.

Yet, they said that 250 civilians, including 50 children and 20 women, were killed by government forces in attacks during the last three days alone.

"Today the attacks started in the morning and didn't stop until after nightfall," photographer Muhammad al-Abdullah told Al Jazeera.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that government forces fired at least six missiles in the area on Tuesday.

Baraa, a local journalist who did not provide his last name, said that the detainees - both men and women - are relatives of high-ranking Syrian army officers.