Monitoring Desk
GHOUTA: Eighteen civilians were killed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region on Monday by regime air and artillery attacks, Anadolu Agency correspondents reported from Damascus.
Nine civilians were killed in the town of Madyara, correspondents said, while another seven were killed in the Duma district and one each in the Arbin and Misraba districts.
Since Nov. 14, Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, has been the target of fierce regime attacks that have left more than 130 people dead and injured hundreds more.
The Syrian regime has continued to target the area even though it falls within a network of de-escalation zones — endorsed by Turkey, Russia, and Iran — in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Meanwhile, The deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said on Monday that the U.S. will need Turkey’s backing for staying in Syria after Daesh is defeated in the region.
Speaking to journalists in the parliament, Ozturk Yilmaz called on the U.S. to cooperate with Turkey ahead of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva.“The U.S. will need Turkey and Turkey’s backing for staying in Syria after Daesh,” said Yilmaz.
He added that this could lead to diffusing of tensions between the two countries.
36 members of Syrian opposition’s High Negoti-ations Committee will attend the peace talks in Geneva.
