IS militants control 'most' of Syrian refugee camp
Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
Publication Date | 4 April 2015 |
Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, IS militants control 'most' of Syrian refugee camp, 4 April 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/552f9dc815.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 04, 2015
Palestinians wait for food supplies at the Palestinian Yarmouk refugee camp in January 2014.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has now captured most of a large Palestinian refugee camp on the southern outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, after a four-day battle against rival Palestinian insurgents.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on April 4 extremists were now in control of around 90 percent of the Yarmouk refugee camp.
The violence in the camp, which started on April 1, has left at least nine Palestinians, including civilians, dead.
The camp had been under siege by Syrian government troops for more than two years, allegedly for sheltering opposition rebels.
Yarmouk was home to some 150,000 Palestinian refugees before Syria's 2011 uprising. The figure has dwindled to 18,000, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Based on reporting by dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website