MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. In the past 24 hours, Syrian militants have shelled various settlements in the provinces of Latakia and Hama, Major General Viktor Kupchishin, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Conflicting Sides in Syria, told reporters on Sunday.
The general added that in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe at the Rukban camp in Syria, a humanitarian corridor and a mobile checkpoint in the Jleb area have been established.
"The Syrian government guarantees the safety of temporarily displaced persons and a simplified document restoration process. The refusal of the American side to guarantee a safe exit for refugees kept at the Rukban camp through the US-controlled 55-kilometer zone near the Al-Tanf base and to ensure their right for free exit to the places of permanent residence undermines the key humanitarian operation aimed at saving Syrian residents," the general stressed.
The Rukban camp
The Rukban refugee camp emerged on the Syrian-Jordanian border in 2014 after Amman closed its border due to security and economic concerns. The area, which is controlled by illegal armed groups, is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
On March 5, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a cemetery with 300 fresh graves had been found near the camp. According to the ministry, the camp has lost its status to have been turned into a "reservation where hostages are held by force". The Russian Defense Ministry said most of the shelters in the camp were unlivable in wintertime, the sanitary conditions were appalling and food and other goods could be purchased only at improvised outdoor bazaars controlled by the militants.