i'm a resident of the town of duma in eastern guta. i'm sitting at home and will show you my every day life and how we live under siege in the midst of war in eastern. hasan abdel aziz is home suffered heavy damage looking at the furnishings it's clear that he must have been wealthy ship the neighborhood is in ruins. eastern ghouta was home to around one and a half million people that number has fallen to less than four hundred thousand. who. can't get over there where the pump is there were apartment buildings with hundreds of families. and. the shelling has destroyed everything going so. the people here refuse to give up struggling every day just to survive they have to be creative for. each one of these hoses leads to an apartment. or residence by fifteen minutes of power years so they can fill up their water tanks during a lull in the fighting many people go into the streets children especially happy to be outdoors but that changes quickly. one just launched an air strike. at the greengrocer's hasan abdel aziz has little to choose

negative ruling against the women certain media outlets have declared a boycott against the state duma even a special forces magazine has blasted slits his behavior as shameful in fact more than a dozen platforms have demanded sleaze resignation and refuse to have any contact with him or representatives claiming it's not a safe place to work both for men and women the duma has made its position clear by suspending the credentials of certain media slutsky has kept his job but many outlets are making sure the scandal doesn't die down and there's your me too moment in russia so far. there have been clashes in barcelona between police and demonstrators protesting the detention of separatist catalan leaders in madrid. dozens were injured as riot police moved in to contain and disperse the crowds thirteen catalan politicians have been charged with rebellion following the separatist regions independence reffer that referendum last october five are waiting trial international arrest warrants were issued for six of the politicians including former president carlos demond. hundreds of thousands

representatives claiming it's not a safe place to work both for men and women the duma has made its position clear by suspending the credentials of certain media slutsky has kept his job but many outlets are making sure the scandal doesn't die down and there is your need to moment in russia so far. thousands of people have gathered in barcelona to protest against it to him and of several separatist leaders in italy. thirteen cattle on head stand accused of revolt after the breakaway regions independence referendum last october five are currently awaiting trial at the latest demonstration in barcelona riot police used force to disperse protesters it's been reported that up to twenty four people were injured. thousands of people across america are expected to march today celebrate for stricter gun control laws are diverse are planning to hold rallies in multiple cities under the slogan march for our lives they're calling for a barlow assault weapons which are frequently used in school shootings meanwhile a libertarian party politician in the us is. proposing to arm homeless people so

representatives claiming it's not a safe place to work both for men and women the duma has made its position clear by suspending the credentials of certain media he has kept his job but many outlets are making sure the scandal doesn't die down and there's your need to moment in russia so far. people have gathered in barcelona to protest against the detainment of several separatist leaders in the spanish capital . thirteen castle on head stand accused of revolt after the breakaway regions independence referendum five are currently awaiting trial at the latest demonstration in barcelona riot police used force to. disperse protesters it's been reported up to twenty four people. back to the middle east now were a seventeen year old palestinian girl has been sentenced to eight months in jail for slapping and hitting two israeli soldiers the girl admitted her guilt as part of a plea bargain with the israeli army. head to me was filmed by her mother lashing out at. the entrance to her home the video went viral which shows her being in slapping the men repeatedly she said she had earlier se

representatives claiming it's not a safe place to work both for men and women the duma has made its position clear by suspending the credentials of certain media slutsky has kept his job but many outlets are making sure the scandal doesn't die down and there is your need to moment in russia so far. people have gathered in barcelona to protest against the detainment of several catalan separatist leaders. thirteen cattle and head stand accused of revolt after the breakaway regions independence referendum last october five are currently awaiting trial at the latest demonstration in barcelona riot police used force to push disperse protesters it's been reported that twenty four people were injured. with the twenty eighteen fifa world cup in russia edging ever closer to kick off two nations preparing for football's biggest stage play that moscow's luzhniki stadium on friday evening which will host the tournaments final on july fifteenth and we have a trained goal was up the game to test a much the experience for france. russia are changing our. theory. twenty foot ball walls helped find

exam in duma but not beyond that. but this is only one power of his to hold them it is not being replicated for reasons the rest of is simple or elsewhere and he's extremely fragile while we're talking i understand there in this very moment some delicate meetings taking place regarding the follow up to this arrangement regarding duma. that talk that for this if i hold because there's been at least one good news among very bad news the un has been practically offering its own good offices but efforts to passively data meaningful contacts between the russian federation and file like you in our last month or after i will show them have not yet been producing results you are dominant forces in the two are the english in if they hold in are after enron but a couple of but i tell them it means the mulga job of expectedly. indows to all the area we have not seen anything to speak of around that we have seen government forces and allies for it hugh a concerted escalation against these doing plagues with the rapid ground offen

as they think the man in the spotlight is leonid slutsky a member of the russian duma and the scandal actually erupted in mid february when the first accusations of sexual harassment surface by female journalists and since then it has snowballed with more and more women coming forward one of those has been a reporter from the b.b.c.'s russian service and she joined the group saying that she has a recording of an instant worse lecky made inappropriate advances and also groped her as well at this point that recording has yet to be released in full and throughout all this has denied the claim saying that it's actually just a smear camp. that was until today today is of course international women's day and he used the opportunity to mix in the apology end with a post celebrating the holiday i'd like to use this occasion to apologize to anyone who intentionally or not i've caused any emotional stress believe me there were no bad intentions amid the wave of accusations against the speaker of the duma came out casting doubt on the claims and also making a suggestion to women that infuriated

the man in the spotlight is leonid a member of the russian duma and the scandal actually erupted in mid february when the first accusations of sexual harassment surface by female journalists and since then it has snowballed with more and more women coming forward one of those has been a reporter from the b.b.c.'s russian service and she joined the group saying that she has a recording of an instant were made inappropriate advances and also groped her as well at this point that recording has yet to be released in full and throughout all this has denied the claim saying that it's actually just a smear campaign that was until today today is of course international women's day and he used the opportunity to mix in apology and with a post celebrating the holiday i'd like to use this occasion to apologize to anyone who intentionally old norse and have caused any emotional stress believe me there were no bad intentions amid the wave of accusations against the speaker of the duma came out casting doubt on the claims and also making a suggestion to women that infuriated many is something to cons

apologize but if you provoke you should be held accountable is it dangerous for you to work in the duma if so then change your jobs all this has prompted outcry especially among journalists who are demanding the appropriate steps be taken and today a protest was even held outside of the state duma where many of those participating were members of the media at this point the ethics committee has already opened an investigation into the situation and will be required to submit answers to all official accusations and if those are found to be lacking he could eventually lose his immunity now the one good thing coming out of this we have seen from in another member of the duma that's the push she's promised to fast track in old bill enforcing gender equality and targeting sexual harassment in the government. when we watch cities around the world have been marking international women's day. in madrid crowds banged pots and pans in support of women's rights chanting slogans such as if we stopped the world stops people in south korea took to the streets of seoul in support of the need to moveme

negative ruling against the women certain media outlets have declared a boycott against the state duma even a special forces magazine has blasted slits his behavior as shameful in fact more than a dozen platforms have demanded resignation and refuse to have any contact with him or representatives claiming it's not a safe place to work both for men and women the duma has made its position clear by suspending the credentials of certain media slutsky has kept his job but many outlets are making sure the scandal doesn't die down and there is your need to moment in russia so far. politicians of people have gathered in barcelona to protest against the detainment of several catalan separatist leaders in madrid. thirteen head stand accused of revolt after the breakaway regions independence referendum last october five for currently awaiting trial at the leaders demonstration in barcelona riot police used force to push back on dispersed but it has been reported that twenty four people were injured. president donald trump signed a one point three trillion dollars spending bill to avoid a u.s. go

these jacqueline vigor explains the man in the spotlight is leonid slutsky a member of the russian duma and the scandal actually erupted in mid february when the first accusations of sexual harassment surface by female journalists and since then it has snowballed with more and more women coming forward one of those has been a reporter from the b.b.c.'s russian service and she joined the group saying that she has a recording of an incident worse lecky made inappropriate advances and also groped her as well at this point that recording has yet to be released in full and throughout all this has denied the claim saying that it's actually just a smear campaign. and that was until today today is of course international women's day and he used the opportunity to mix in the apology end with a post celebrating the holiday i'd like to use this occasion to apologize to anyone who intentionally or not i've caused any emotional stress believe me there were no bad intentions amid the wave of accusations against the speaker of the duma came out casting doubt on the claims and also making a suggestion

apologize but if you provoke you should be held accountable is it dangerous for you to work in the duma if so then change your jobs all this has prompted outcry especially among journalists who are demanding the appropriate steps be taken and today a protest was even held outside of the state duma where many of those participating were members of the media at this point the ethics committee has already opened an investigation into the situation and will be required to submit answers to all official accusations and if those are found to be lacking he could eventually lose his immunity now the one good thing coming out of this we have seen from another member of the duma that's on the push she's promised a fast track in all bill enforcing gender equality and targeting sexual harassment in the government. and women around the world of him are commune to national women's day to day including in madrid where they've been making lots of noise. people there were banging pots and pans in support of women's rights chanting slogans such as if we stopped the world stops people in south korea the s

now amid all of this the speaker of the duma has. cast doubts on the claims that are being made and has also made a suggestion to him and that has infuriated quite a few. is something to consider what if this was all just a provocation if you have someone you should apologize but if you provoke you should be held accountable is it dangerous for you to work in the duma if so then change your jobs. now of course all this has prompted an outcry especially among journalists who have been demanding that the appropriate steps be taken and today a protest was even held outside of the state duma many of those participating were in fact members of the media as well and at this point the ethics committee has opened an investigation and will have to write an answer to any and all formal accusations that are made and if any of those answers are found to be lacking he could eventually lose his immunity now one positive step is being made in all of this and that's being done by another member of the state duma pushkin to she's promised to fast tra

in the south of the country syrian state media says government forces have surrounded the town of duma it's part of their attempt to overrun eastern guta a damascus suburb that still in rebel hands pro-government forces have managed to cut the rebel held area into to establish a chordal to assist the offensive the government has been told she repeated as strikes rebels accuse them of using barrel bombs phosphorus napalm and chlorine gas in a separate offensive in northern syria turkish forces here have surrounded the town of our friend which is under the control of the kurdish y.p. gee now the white b.g. says civilians will form a human shield around the town to protect against any further advances earlier i spoke to dean who lives in duma he told us what he's witnessed over the past few days. i don't see any. regime i i see the russian airplanes and militias of iranian and. on. known. army coming to is doing good. yesterday in there was so if the civilians in and don't know anything about them. unfortunately the situation here in eastern very very awful and miserable. there is alan fi

has been an agreement and the which is the last rebel faction inside of the they are in control of duma they are the last rebel factions who have not surrendered to pro-government forces that they have now agreed to do so and they have agreed to an evacuation this of course comes after news emerged yesterday that there was a deadline that was given by the syrian government and pro syrian government fighters in the russian government. inside duma that they would have to evacuate by tomorrow night by saturday evening otherwise there would be a push by syrian backed forces to go in and take that area now of course it is them as you mentioned just a few moments ago they are strenuously denying these reports from the russian military they are saying that any reports that any deal has been struck between them and the syrian government or russian forces are patently false we spoke with how it up that he's the spokesperson for them he said this our position is still clear and said fast the rejection of force displacement and the demographic change of the rest of eastern and now this is in line

the man in the spotlight is leading a member of the russian duma and the scandal actually erupted in mid february when the first accusations of sexual harassment surface by female journalists and since then it has snowballed with more and more women coming forward one of those has been a reporter from the b.b.c.'s russian service and she joined the group saying that she has a recording of an instant worse lidsky made inappropriate advances and also groped her as well at this point that recording has yet to be released in full and throughout all this has denied the claim saying that it's actually just a smear campaign that was until today today is of course international women's day and he used the opportunity to mix in the polje end with a post celebrating the holiday i'd like to use this occasion to apologize to anyone who intentionally old norse and have caused any emotional stress believe me there were no bad intentions amid the wave of accusations against the speaker of the duma came out casting doubt on the claims and also making a suggestion to women that infuriated many is som

apologize but if you provoke you should be held accountable is it dangerous for you to work in the duma if so then change your jobs all this has prompted outcry especially among journalists who are demanding the appropriate steps be taken and today a protest was even held outside of the state duma where many of those participating were members of the media at this point the ethics committee has already opened an investigation into the situation and will be required to submit answers to all official accusations and if those are found to be lacking he could eventually lose his immunity now the one good thing coming out of this we have seen from another member of the duma that's the push she's promised to fast track in old bill enforcing gender equality and targeting sexual harassment in the government. well meanwhile cities around the world happy marking international women's day. the madrid crowds banged pots and pans in support of women's rights chanting slogans such as if we stopped the wall stops people in south korea took to the streets of seoul in support of the me too movement call

supply line the government also says it has full control of misrata cutting off another key vote to duma and splitting the enclave into three alan fisher has more from the turkey syria border. all syrian government forces have made big gains in the last twenty four hours they're still facing resistance. this video from josh al islam claims to show regime forces being pushed but they have surrounded two large home to the. duma and harasta and circling tones is something syrian government forces have done consistently especially since enlisting the help of the russians militarily and tactically by cutting off roads and important supply lines they've essentially left the fighters. with no place left to go he's isolating the two cities now the two big cities in the in the east he's weakening them and he's. supporting its military approach by having this political strategy separating them both on the ground and politically by trying to have a deal this deal with. across the country the free syrian army supported by the talks are closing in on the city of afrin. positions held by the kurdish m

special envoy to syria has welcomed a brief cease fire in the city of duma in eastern the found them a store also renewed calls for an end to the hostilities across the country that was echoed by un humanitarian coordinator. operating well with the russians sent to forty conciliation to organize humanitarian convoys and also to assist people who are leaving east duma so we're looking at more than twenty thousand civilians were leaving is. in desperate conditions and they are housed in different shelters in and around damascus so they need everything they need blankets they need mattresses any food they need medications they need protection they need to feel comfortable being made to feel secure a lot of teams are working around the clock with them together with. the syrian out of the cross and i.c.r.c. and of course we are cooperating with the government why formula for that is secession of hostilities over do much to continue. over the east all parts of the country ability to send convoys and medical assistance into east will talk and people are allowed to leave. without any obstacl

harasta surrendered on thursday the latest ceasefire deal took place in our bin and the make and in duma for the north thousands of civilians continue to escape heavy strikes the fighters from the roster on their way to which is the last rebel held province in syria russia brokered the deal and is involved in the goetia in the elsewhere in eastern guta a tentative ceasefire earlier this month in duma broke down the area is undergoing renewed bombardment to say dozens of people have been killed by white phosphorus. let's talk about the latest ceasefire with using in beirut what are you hearing about it. well there is an uneasy calm and so there in the pocket a number of towns under the control of the opposition activists on the ground reported violation since that ceasefire was to have taken effect at midnight local time but it was before the ceasefire when there was really heavy bombardment heavy airstrikes of course applying yet more military pressure on the rebel faction which controls this southern pocket. to surrender now. announcing the cease fire late yesterday saying that it will

aid convoy has entered the duma the main town inside the besieged rebel held on klav of eastern go-to but before being allowed past army checkpoints most of the convoys medical supplies were confiscated reports and let me give you a warning some of you might find the images in the story disturbing. it's the first time aid has entered the controlled enclave of eastern since the latest offensive began just over two weeks ago but world health organization officials say seventy percent of what was loaded on the trucks was removed during inspection. it's not the first time syrian government officials have prevented trauma kits and surgical supplies from reaching besieged areas they have been systematically removed from aid convoys in the past to prevent rebel fighters being treated. but such life saving medical equipment is what is urgently needed medics say they are struggling according to the united nations up to one thousand civilians some of them critically ill need to be evacuated to receive proper treatment already a few thousand people have been injured in the airstrikes and the tol

on that day with the ceasefire between the government and jaish al islam forces largely holding in duma the meeting took place as well as a further meeting today as i speak to you now i have not yet received the full report on the results of today's meeting but i was informed as i was entering this room from our people in the mass schools that there has been progress in relation to civilian evacuations and humanitarian aid for their more i took note of two days earlier statement issued by as i usually islam and i quote in the context of security council resolutions twenty two fifty four and twenty four zero one and agreement was reached to the russian side through the united nations for humanitarian medical evacuation of the wounded for treatment outside the eastern ghouta we're also hearing reports of tentative initiatives both by tribal leaders and the russian federation for contact with other groups on the ground i wish to underscore the urgency of seeing medical evacuation civilian protection and full sustain that and impede humanitarian access as soon as possible in between attacks

have seen one positive step coming out of all of this and that's from a nother member of the state duma pushkin to has promised to fast track a bill on enforcing gender equality and targeting sexual harassment in the government. ok thanks jackie that was very good reporting that. amount brings you up to date that's how events are looking so far today here not a more. you know when you don't. see the. what. they could put it. what the most. space. left on the hill said. no servant to let. you speak french. the. new. busy the bill to. everybody i'm stephen both. proud americans first and just george bush in our view to say this is my buddy famous financial guru well she's a little bit different. you know with those. with all the drama happening in our country i'm hitting the road to have some fun every day americans come home and hopefully start to bridge the gap this is the great american pill which. you see a good buy. and it is a nuisance he says. the church secret indeed catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children can get away with it quite literally i like to call this the

is the submitted to people and through our partners on the ground the syrian arab red crescent and duma we ensure that only the families that were registered with high priority. sievers of humanitarian aid are the families that get the batch of humanitarian aid which we were able to deliver the stime in duma i know you said you need both sides to come together here and basically agree to this to allow the aid to come in but i mean there are warring parties we've seen the u.n. resolution fail to bring peace is that the only option really then the both sides need to come together and allow this to happen. yes the only way to monitor and aid organizations can work to bring in the needed aid is by both parties agreeing there is no way that we as a military and organizations can work without having security guarantees because we won't be able to move and we won't be able to load our trucks with humanitarian aid and we won't be able to safeguard the stuff and people that need help inside what on areas this is the way we were by agreeing with all parties and by having all parties agree for the

syrian state media says the army has now completely surrounded the town of duma in eastern guta that means the rebel held area is cut into amid intense as strikes pro-government forces broke through rebel lines to establish a corridor through the enclave state t.v. has been broadcasting inside the town of mid-air where the army units joined up and activists say over a thousand people have been killed since the government ramped up its offensive to take back the area over three weeks ago when the rebels last stronghold near the capital damascus the orange stripes here show how much of it they held on february eighteenth when the government stepped up its offensive three weeks of heavy bombardment later and that has dramatically shrunk and the surrounding of duma by syrian government forces threatens to exacerbate an already dying humanitarian situation meanwhile further north in syria kurds are reported to be mobilizing to form a human shield around the town of affray and as turkish forces advance turkish troops and free syrian army fighters have surrounded affray in a warning that th

observatory for human rights says ground forces have advanced into areas between the main towns of duma and harassed or that effectively cuts off the main rebel supply line the government also says it has full control of miss rubber in the east of the enclave cutting off another key road to duma ellen fisher has more from gaziantep on turkey's border with syria. what we've seen in eastern go to is a tactic that has been replayed throughout this war by the syrian government forces particularly since the enlisted the help of the russians both tactically and militarily the idea is to drive a wedge between the two areas take control of them isolate them and then negotiate some would see impose a peace deal which involves the removal of the part of fighters in that area and it seems that that's exactly what has happened here now it's been a difficult twenty four hours for eastern ghouta you remember that earlier this week we saw an aid convoy go in but not all of the forty six trucks could empty what they had in the back and so they had to leave because of airstrikes and fighting in and arou

syrian state media says the army has now completely surrounded the town of duma in eastern that means the rebel held area is caught in two amid intense as strikes pro-government forces broke through rubble lines to establish a corridor through the enclave state television has been broadcasting inside the town of the dera where the army units joined up. marches and activists say over a thousand people have been killed since the government ramped up its offensive to take back the area over three weeks ago. is the rebels' last stronghold near the capital damascus the orange stripes here show how much of it they held on february eighteenth when the government stepped up its offensive three weeks of heavy bombardment later and that's dramatically shrunk and the surrounding of duma by syrian government forces threatens to exacerbate an already diet humanitarian situation why add more you dean lives into my he told me earlier what he's witnessed over the past few days. i don't see any. regime i see the russian airplanes and militias of iranian and. un. known. army coming to is to. yesterday

aid convoy has entered duma the main town inside the besieged rebel held on place of eastern gota but before being allowed past army checkpoints most of the convoys medical supplies were confiscated meanwhile syrian and russian air attacks have continued killing almost thirty people in just the past twenty four hours zain a call to reports let me give you a warning some of you may find the images in this story disturbing. it's the first time aid has entered the rebel controlled enclave of eastern huta since the latest offensive began just over two weeks ago but world health organization officials say seventy percent of what was loaded on the trucks was removed during inspection. it's not the first time syrian government officials have prevented trauma kids and surgical supplies from reaching besieged areas they have been systematically removed from aid convoys in the past to prevent rebel fighters being treated but such life saving medical equipment is what is urgently needed medics say they are struggling according to the united nations up to one thousand civilians some of them criti

and partners were told that that many of the plan to help the buy intended for duma would not be allowed to be loaded in addition to that we were not permitted to replace these items with other lifesaving items so these included things like truck like it other basic medicines and lifesaving assistance lifesaving supplies that are needed in in dumas i spoke to. a mother who had been working for the red crescent and she told us that the road eyes of i'll go to to the als office in camp that was just long way out and that was causing problems because the road itself was dangerous with the insurgents causing problems sniping at people trying to escape have you experienced the same problems when you've been trying to deliver the aid as well. well i mean we can't speak to the exact you know. military operation because we're not present and. you know we're only able to enter sporadically but we know that over the past couple of days that there has been a consolation of fighting that has resulted in. about six hundred people killed thousands of people injured today on our way to. you know we had

syria's government is closing in on eastern huta duma is the last remaining rebel held area outside the capital damascus and fighters there on negotiating a surrender deal with russia they now hold reports. they are being sent into exile the forced transfer to the rebel held province of idlib in the northwest of syria as the second deal of its kind in eastern huta. one of three rebel factions that controlled the rebel enclave agreed to surrender what was left of its stronghold in the southern pocket up to seven thousand people fighters their family members and opposition activists who don't want to live under the government's rule or are afraid to are leaving. we will leave but one day we will return they have managed to silence the revolution but will never die we will return to liberate our land and the revolution will return he repeatedly asked the international community for help but they didn't do anything it's very difficult time for us but we will return thousands more were bussed out of another rebel pocket in eastern huta the town of harassed which surrendered on wednesday they

observatory for human rights says ground forces have advanced into areas between the main towns of duma and now this effectively cuts off the main rebel supply line the government also says it has full control of misrata in the east cutting off another key bridge to duma. meanwhile the first group of syrian rebel fighters to leave east and goose air has reached a government controlled area outside the group gyration al islam of the army of islam has released thirteen fighters from a rival group it imprisoned along with their families ellen fisher has more from gaziantep on turkey's border with syria. this is a tactic that has been employed by the syrian government forces since they started to enlist the help of the russians both technically and militarily to push into an area split it and then surround various towns the idea of course is that they cut off fighters and they cut important supply lines and it seems that that's exactly what is happening know that it's been a difficult twenty four hours in eastern guta we know that earlier this week there was a red cross red crescent aid con

klav thousands of fellow called rough month rebels and civilians are being taken to live it leaves duma as the last rebels hold a rebel stronghold outside the capital damascus. french media reporting that a second person has been taken into custody in connection with friday's shooting in southern france four people were killed including a policeman and a gunman hijacked a car and shot at offices for taking hostages in the town of. the democratic republic of congo's refusing to go to its own donor conference in switzerland next month which aims to raise nearly two billion dollars the country's prime minister says the un's overreacting about the humanitarian needs. anger is mounting in the u.s. city of sacramento over the police shooting of an unarmed black man twenty two year old stuff on clock was shot at least twenty times when officers cornered him in his

advances in eastern guta government soldiers have reportedly surrounded the enclave the largest town duma as airstrikes pound the last opposition stronghold near the capital damascus and thousands of civilians remain trapped also on the program. can trade officials from the european union get the block out of upcoming american import tariffs on steel and aluminum or is the e.u. going to counter it with tariffs on u.s. products. and seven years after a nuclear disaster struck the japanese video fukushima some locals are using sport to lawn they're hoping the twenty twenty olympics will soon put their city on the map for something completely different baseball. and welcome to the program syrian government forces say they have made significant advances into eastern ghouta the army has spent the last three weeks conducting an offensive on the area which is the last major rebel stronghold near the capital damascus the fighting has already claimed the lives of over a thousand people we'll get the latest from our correspondent but first this report . the next strike is never far away in duma. an

in the last few days on the outskirts of duma the result of this engagement it can you. be doing the government russian military injury ships learn forward to continue to logically hold for that they know that for this is for a halt because there's been at least one good news i'm all very. it's think that it was seized by rebels in late two thousand and twelve and since two thousand and thirteen has been under siege but the syrian army trying to recapture the area the assad government has now succeeded in driving the militants into three small pockets regaining control of much of the region just by the advances many civilians there are still living in dire conditions political analyst and author phyllis bennis believes that the harrowing situation goes far beyond the enclaves borders. there is no place for them to go the country of syria has been decimated by these seven years of war and people have been moved from one place to another looking for safety and not finding it those who have been driven out of the country are finding the gates of other countries closed again