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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Tuesday 4 april 2017

































                  Syrian government forces besiege rebel-held Damascus area



            PHILIP ISSA                  have  suffered  major  de-
            BASSEM MROUE                 feats  in  recent  months,
            Associated Press             including  the  loss  of  east-
            BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops   ern  neighborhoods  of  the
            intensified  their  bombard-  northern  city  of  Aleppo,
            ment of opposition-held ar-  Syria’s  largest,  and  the
            eas  around  Damascus  on    western  Damascus  suburb
            Monday  and  besieged  a     of  Wadi  Barada,  a  main
            rebel neighborhood north-    source  of  water  for  the
            east of the city, the latest in   capital, earlier this year.
            the  government’s  push  to   In   March,     insurgents
            erase  battlefield  advanc-  launched  a  counter-at-
            es  made  by  insurgents  in   tack, capturing several ar-
            March.                       eas northeast of Damascus
            Airstrikes  on  the  rebel-  before losing much of them
            held  Damascus  suburb  of   over  the  past  few  days.
            Douma  killed  at  least  16   Assad’s forces are seeking
            people,  including  three    to capture rebel-held parts
            children, according to the   of  Qaboun,  Tishrin,  Jobar
            Britain-based Syrian Obser-  and  Barzeh  —  areas  that   In this frame grab, a Syrian army rocket launcher fires at insurgent groups position, in Hama, north
            vatory  for  Human  Rights.   opposition  fighters  have   Syria. Syrian troops intensified their bombardment of opposition-held areas around Damascus on
            Douma-based activist Ma-     held for years. Losing them   Monday.
            zen  al-Shami  said  16  peo-  would deal a new blow to                                                      (Syrian Central Military Media, via AP)
            ple  were  killed  in  Douma,   the opposition.
            including  a  whole  family.   The  Hafez  road  represents   Earlier  on  Monday,  Syr-  calation  north  of  Hama  in  than 70 bombs and rockets
            He gave no further details.  a  strategic  artery,  though   ian   government   forces  the  directions  of  Maardes  had fallen on the adjoining
            The government’s siege of    the rebels have been wide-   stepped  up  the  bombing  and  Souran,”  said  a  local  village and town.
            the  Barzeh  neighborhood    ly  known  to  use  tunnels  in   of opposition-held areas in  media  activist  who  goes  Syrian  state  media  said
            came  as  President  Bashar   the nearby neighborhoods    and  near  Damascus  and  by  the  name  of  Obeida  government forces had re-
            Assad’s  forces  work  to  ex-  to smuggle fighters, weap-  the central city of Hama.  Hamawi fearing for his own  claimed  Maardes  by  mid-
            pand  their  security  belt   ons and food.               “There’s  been  a  major  es-  safety. He estimated more  day. q
            around Damascus, his seat
            of power.                      President’s party wins Armenian parliamentary vote
            After  hours  of  fighting  un-
            der  the  cover  of  airstrikes
            and    intense   bombard-    AVET DEMOURIAN               Serzh Sargsyan, won 49 per-  control of the country after  vants  and  employees  of
            ment,  government  forces    Associated Press             cent  of  the  vote,  and  the  he steps down in 2018 due  private companies.
            and  their  allies  captured   YEREVAN,  Armenia  (AP)  —  bloc  led  by  businessman  to  term  limits.  If  his  party  “Reform  is  a  never-ending
            Hafez  Road,  according  to   Armenia’s  ruling  party  has  Gagik Tsarukian trailed with  controls   parliament,   he  process,
            the  Observatory  and  op-   won  just  under  half  of  the  27  percent,  the  Central  could be appointed prime  and  I  encourage  the  par-
            position activist Anas al-Di-  vote in the nation’s parlia-  Election  Commission  said  minister after that.       liamentary  majority  and
            mashqi, who is based near    mentary  election,  enough  on Monday after all ballots  The  observer  mission  of  the  new  government  to
            Damascus.                    to claim a majority of seats,  were counted.              the  Organization  for  Secu-  continue  their  efforts  to
            The  capture  of  the  road   authorities said Monday.    Two  more  parties  cleared  rity and Cooperation in Eu-  transform the country’s po-
            cut off Barzeh from the Qa-  Sunday’s  election  was  the  the  5-percent  barrier  nec-  rope said in a statement on  litical culture, in partnership
            boun and Tishrin neighbor-   first since the ex-Soviet na-  essary to get seats in parlia-  Monday that the vote was  with the opposition, civil so-
            hoods,  which  are  partially   tion  modified  its  constitu-  ment.                  “well administered and fun-  ciety and the international
            held by the rebels.          tion  to  expand  the  pow-   The official results are to be  damental  freedoms  were  community,”  Ignacio  San-
            Monday’s  developments       ers  of  parliament  and  the  announced later this week.  generally  respected.”  The  chez  Amor,  the  mission’s
            will  increase  pressure  on   prime minister.            Critics see the constitution-  mission,  however,  pointed  special coordinator, said in
            opposition  fighters  who    The  Republican  Party  of  al  amendments  as  part  of  to  reports  of  vote-buying,  the statement.q
                                         Armenia,  led  by  President  Sargsyan’s  efforts  to  retain  and  pressure  on  civil  ser-
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