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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Death toll in Syria enclave tops 500 after UN delays truce vote

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DOUMA, Syria: New air strikes on the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Saturday took the civilian death toll from seven days of devastating bombardment to more than 500 after the United Nations again delayed a vote on a ceasefire.


A total of 127 children figure among the 510 dead in the bombing campaign that Syria launched last Sunday on the enclave just outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.


The Britain-based monitor of the war said at least 32 civilians were killed in Saturday’s strikes, including eight children. A night of heavy bombardment sparked fires in residential districts, it said.


The Observatory has said the air strikes are being carried out by Syrian and Russian forces.


Moscow, which intervened militarily in support of its Damascus ally in 2015, has denied any direct involvement in the Eastern Ghouta bombardment.


The UN Security Council had been due to hold a vote on Friday on a resolution calling for a month-long ceasefire to allow aid deliveries and the evacuation of seriously wounded civilians. But the vote was postponed until 17:00 GMT on Saturday as Western powers bickered with Russia over the wording.


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