Pakistani couple become first civilians evacuated from Syria's Ghouta

A Pakistani couple became the first civilians evacuated from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, a media report said on Thursday.

They were evacuated by the Syrian Red Crescent from Eastern Ghouta to the Pakistani Embassy in Damascus on Wednesday, half an hour after the daily five-hour-long humanitarian pause ended, Xinhua news agency quoted a source as saying.

The man was identified as Mahmoud Fadel Akram, 72, and his wife as Sugran Bibi, 62. They moved to live in Syria in the 1970s for better living conditions.

But when the war erupted in the country, both remained in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, which has come under nearly daily airstrikes recently.

A resolution passed by the UN Security Council demanded a 30-day truce across Syria, including Eastern Ghouta, to allow access of humanitarian aid to the affected civilians.

The Pakistani couple are the first and only civilians evacuated from Eastern Ghouta since a Russian-backed daily humanitarian pause went into effect on Tuesday.

--IANS

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