28,000 Civilians Still Held Captive by US, Affiliated Terrorists in Al-Tanf

Field sources in Eastern Homs reported on Thursday that a new group of 1,000 civilians could flee al-Rukban camp at the borders with Iraq on Wednesday through Jaliqam corridor in Eastern Homs towards the Syrian army-controlled regions.

Meantime, the medical team affiliated to the Red Crescent in Syria reported that most children who have left the camp are suffering different diseases due to the lack of medical and treatment facilities.

Also, the Russian and Syrian Joint Coordination Committees said that around 28,000 Syrian citizens still remain in al-Rukban refugee camp.

“Most Syrian citizens return from Syria’s neighboring states. Every day, between 1,000 and 2,000 people come to the country from Jordan and Lebanon, confirming that the measures have been effective,” said a statement signed by the heads of the Russian and Syrian coordination headquarters Mikhail Mizintsev and Hussein Makhlouf.

It added that more than 1.8mln refugees have come back home, including over 1.3mln internally displaced and another 500,000 refugees coming back from other countries.

The Russian and Syrian Joint Coordination Committees had also earlier declared that around 28,000 Syrian citizens are still in al-Rukban refugee camp since they are unable to leave the area.

“About 28,000 Syrians who cannot leave its territory remain in Rukban in appalling conditions due to being hostage to the US-controlled armed groups,” read the document signed by the committees’ heads Mikhail Mizintsev of Russia and Hussein Makhlouf of Syria.

It stressed that the armed groups demanded up to $1,500 for leaving the camp and “the vast majority of camp residents do not have.”

Russia and Syria called on the US command in the al-Tanf area “to foil the criminal activities of the armed groups under its control and ensure the unhindered exit of Rukban camp residents”.