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Friday 13 January 2017

Russian helicopters join regime aircraft bombing Wadi Barada



By Wadi Barada Media Centre

Report for Thursday 12 January 2016.

Warplanes and helicopters haven’t stopped bombing the villages of Wadi Barada since last night with barrel bombs and missiles. For the 21st day running the regime, Hezbollah and other militias allied with them have continued with their criminal assault on Wadi Barada, despite a ceasefire.

Since the early hours of the morning regime forces have targeted the villages of the area with heavy artillery, tanks, warplanes, helicopters, and rockets. They have tried to storm the area from the Kfeir Al-Zeit entrance.

Civilian homes have been bombed with IRAM and GRAD rockets and targeted by snipers and heavy machine-gun fire.

However rebels have resisted their advance and prevented them from making any gains. The regime used chlorine gas in Basimah, resulting in the injury of two people.

A 12 year old girl died and three other people were wounded in the village of Dair Qanoun as a result of the regime’s attacks.

One person was killed in Kfeir Al-Zeit as a result of intense sniper fire.

Russian helicopters dropped bombs on the village of Basimah in Wadi Barada on Thursday alongside regime helicopters. Regime helicopters carried out 30 airstrikes on Basimah and the outskirts of Ain Al-Fijeh village.

In what appears to be a new strategy, the regime is using two helicopters in every airstrikes. Each one drops four barrel bombs. Three days ago Russian helicopters started accompanying regime helicopters. Each helicopter drops six bombs at the same time and their bombs are bigger than the regime’s barrel bombs.

The regime’s warplanes bombed Ain al-Fijeh village on Thursday. Some of the strikes were directed at the Ain al-Fijeh Spring and the surrounding area as well as local houses. Some houses were completely destroyed.

The regime’s warplanes started bombing Ain al-Fijeh at six in the morning. At the same time the village was subjected to intense bombardment with artillery, tanks, and Gvodzika howitzers, as well as heavy mortars which fell on residential areas and farms in the village.

It’s important to note here that the regime’s “Military Media” network today broadcast for the first time scenes that it said were from the Ain El-Fijeh spring, the surrounding area, and the village of Basimah.

This comes 23 days after the beginning of the military assault on Wadi Barada, which has continued despite a proclaimed “ceasefire”. At the beginning of the assault the regime blamed those it called “terrorists” for blowing up the Ain El-Fijeh water plant and pollution of its water. However, the regime’s lies were exposed by videos broadcast by the Wadi Barada Media Centre, showing the regime’s rockets and barrel bombs falling on the Ain El-Fijeh, causing damage to the water plant which caused it to become completely inoperational. As a result, it has stopped supplying water to Damascus and the villages of Wadi Barada.