Daraya: #Local_Council_of_Daraya_City
#Daily_News_Roundup: Field, Medical and Humanitarian Situation in #Daraya, Damascus
21/01/2014
***Headlines***
Battle ‘Wa Bassheri Sabireen’ announced; intermittent rocket and artillery shelling; fierce fighting; more than one year of siege has left all life necessities scarce
*** Recent developments on the ground***
The battle of ‘Wa Bassheri Sabireen’ has been announced today by FSA in Daraya. The name is taken from a Quranic verse which can be translated as ‘give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere’. The battle started about one week ago with the aim of liberating regime-controlled neighbourhoods in the south and east of the city as a step towards breaking the siege and advancing towards Damascus. After extremely violent fighting, the battle has so far led to several victories for the FSA who have been able to liberate a large portion of the eastern area including several strategic location used by the regime as an HQ for operations. Several buildings in the southern area were also cleared of regime presence. The regime’s casualties included over 70 deaths including 7 Republican Guard officers of different ranks and several Iraqi and Iranian fighters. 20 more are reported injured and 8 have been captured. The FSA also destroyed one T72 tank, and damaged one Shelka Vehicle and one BMP vehicle. A number of arms depots were seized including the direly needed anti-tank weapons, machineguns, sniper rifles, personal weapons, and B10 and B2 rifles.
The city of Daraya was the target of heavy shelling fired from Fourth Division Barracks, and checkpoints along Daraa highway. The shelling targeted the eastern and southern areas of the city as clashes broke out between the FSA and regime forces.

***Humanitarian and living conditions***
The besieged people of Daraya have been suffering for over a year amidst a total lack of humanitarian, medical and food supplies. Over 6,000 civilians including 600 children and 50 new born babies are living inside the siege. The people have been surviving on whatever vegetables or herbs they can get. Unfortunately, large proportions of crops have been damaged by the current wave of frost. As a result, the siege is becoming ever more life-threatening due to hunger, cold and daily shelling including explosive barrels.
***Videos and links***
(Arabic) Announcement of battle ‘Wa Bassheri Sabireen’
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=652161544825063

Videos from ‘Wa Bassheri Sabireen’ battle

Preparation of weapon and a speech by a field commander
https://youtu.be/sFF4xEdF9IQ
Important video: violent clashes lead to advances by FSA, an army officer is killed
https://youtu.be/WhntWaYPomM
Important video: violent clashes lead to advances by FSA under tank fire
https://youtu.be/Ba2XrcbHa5c
Important video: seizing an army location and the weapons inside it
https://youtu.be/A17qGycsdhI
Seizing an arms depot including anti-tank weapons
https://youtu.be/LolxhPeI8sk
Sniping regime forces using machineguns
https://youtu.be/JfmWq9urMo4
Regime tanks attempting to stop FSA advances east of the city
https://youtu.be/AACFtx3npmE
Regime helicopter mistakenly drops explosive barrel on regime forces
https://youtu.be/jwTybn5Kan4
Storming one of the streets east of Daraya
Part 1 https://youtu.be/xLpRKeEH9V8
Part 2 https://youtu.be/WIU1P4kgZ0M
Part 3 https://youtu.be/GmWbvXSyK4E
FSA advances covered by Shelka fire
https://youtu.be/2atE1LvIZ8A
Seizing an army location and besieging some of the fighters inside
https://youtu.be/s3JSnMJiC3I
Violent clashes leading to the liberation of new areas east of Daraya
https://youtu.be/c_Y8sNJ9B4A
Fighting inside buildings
Part 1 https://youtu.be/9G_pJQZ7OGU
Small-arm clashes
Part 1 https://youtu.be/H1SqVm-Us2k
Part 2 https://youtu.be/cqlWZFhDrBE
Some of the bodies of Assad’s forces
Part 1 https://youtu.be/4aGp9jUieZc
FSA fighter advance on the eastern front
https://youtu.be/69TZoKgL-8M
Planning an operation – canvassing regime locations using heavy weapons
https://youtu.be/coYIAEbmsQs
FSA advancing through and clearing Assad–controlled houses
https://youtu.be/i3zDGDrrprU
Whole neighbourhoods liberated from Assad’s forces – some of the defectors engaged in fighting
https://youtu.be/vXlsyfxhGPA
FSA engages Assad’s forces on the eastern front
https://youtu.be/hRC53rIU2jo
FSA Advances on the eastern front
https://youtu.be/xX-4UlAp1uE