Syrian rebel-held town 'raises government flag in exchange for food'
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[QUOTE]Residents of a blockaded rebel-held town near Damascus raised the flag used by the government of Syria's President Bashar Assad in a deal that sees them accept symbolic humiliation in exchange for food, activists said.
The deal accepted by the town of Moadamiyeh is one of a number of short-lived, local truces reached between opposition-held towns and government forces in recent months, although the terms - which also included the rebels handing over heavy weapons and expelling outsiders - are unusual.
Residents described it as a bitter pill to swallow. For nearly a year, the sprawling community west of Damascus was shelled and starved, surrounded by government checkpoints that refused to allow through food, clean water and fuel, pressuring residents to expel anti-Assad rebels among them. At least two women and four children died of hunger-related illnesses by September, said activists.
The agreement also demanded rebels hand over their heavy weapons and that only registered residents of Moadamiyeh may remain in the town, in a condition likely to thin rebel ranks.
"There's sadness inside us, but we raised the flag because nobody helped us, nobody extended their hands to us," said a Moadamiyeh resident who identified only as Ahmad, fearing retribution from Syrian security forces. "We are ready to save the lives of (hungry) children. There's no bread in Moadamiyeh. For three months, there's been not even a grain of rice," he said.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10538769/Syrian-rebel-held-town-raises-government-flag-in-exchange-for-food.html[/url]
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