24 People, Held by Terrorist Groups, Released

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE- 24 People including women and children, who were previously kidnapped and held by Terrorist groups in Erbin area in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus countryside, have been released within the framework of efforts exerted by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and concerned parties to people with critical health conditions leave areas controlled by terrorist organizations.

 Some of the released people told SANA that they have been kidnapped for three years. They hailed the Syrian state’s efforts and the army’s sacrifices to help them return to normal life and get rid of the humiliation they were exposed to during their captivity in the terrorist organizations’ prisons.

Governor of Damascus Countryside Alaa Ibrahim said work will continue as to liberate all the kidnapped wherever they are, noting continuous contacts with several parties in order to protect the lives of the kidnapped in preparation to release them. He pointed out that 2018 will witness many achievements in this regard.

“The terrorist groups have confiscated and burnt all the documents of the released persons,” said the governor, adding that work is underway to obtain new documents for these persons.

Secretary of the Damascus Countryside Baath Party Branch Humam Haidar said in a statement to journalists that liberating a number of kidnapped people from Eastern Ghouta area was the result of great efforts by the State to help those kidnapped return to their areas and resume their normal life. He pointed out that many families were kidnapped because of their support for the army.

He stressed that the government is working hard to find a solution to the kidnapped people’s file as to liberate them either through swap or local reconciliation.

  The terrorist groups are holding hundreds of kidnapped people in their hideouts in Eastern Ghouta , most of them women and children. They are also besieging thousands of civilians to take them as human shields and they continuously block humanitarian convoys and seize the humanitarian aid delivered by SARC in cooperation with international organizations to the locals.

 Hamda Mustafa