PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING
PARAGRAPH OF THE DAY-
Saving Ghouta –
The agreement reached between armed groups in Eastern Ghouta and a UN delegation to evacuate some militants from the besieged enclave is the first major concession the rebels have made since Syrian government attacks began a month ago. Under the deal, the Jaish al-Islam, the main rebel group, will evacuate militants linked to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly an al-Qaeda front, from Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus. HTS militants will go to Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria run by the rebels, mainly the HTS. Over the past month, the rebels had refused to strike any deal with the regime even after repeated bombardment. At least 1,000 people have been killed in one month, with the UN warning of an “apocalypse” in Syria. The regime’s argument was that it was seeking to liberate Eastern Ghouta from terrorist occupation. But about 400,000 people are stuck in the enclave; some reports say the rebels are using them as human shields. But the regime and its Russian backers are paying little attention to human suffering. Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta. Thereafter, the Syrian government eased the siege of the city, allowing aid groups to supply assistance. But the ceasefire is yet to take effect. The Russians, who voted for the resolution at the Security Council, continued to justify attacks by citing the presence of the HTS, which is linked to an internationally designated terrorist organisation.
With HTS fighters now being evacuated, it is an opportunity for Russia and the Syrian regime to cease hostilitiesand engage with the other armed groups, including Jaish and Faylaq al-Rahman, an affiliate of the Free Syrian Army. Both the rebels and the government can learn from the battle for eastern Aleppo, which regime forces captured in late 2016. After the rebels ran out of all options in the face of continued Syrian/Russian assaults, both from land and air, they finally decided to leave the city under Turkish mediation, handing it over to government forces. The battle for Eastern Ghouta bears an eerie similarity to that of eastern Aleppo. In Ghouta, the rebels do not have any meaningful support coming from outside that could allow them to resist regime forces. What they do now to deter regime advances is to shell the government-controlled parts of Damascus and its suburbs, killing more civilians and giving further reason for the regime to justify its military operations. This will only prolong the conflict, endangering civilians on both sides. Given the Aleppo example and the reality on the ground in Eastern Ghouta, the sooner the government forces and the armed gangs reach an agreement for evacuation, the better it will be for the hundreds of thousands of people in the enclave.
WORDS AND MEANING –
Evacuate
Meaning: Remove (someone) from a place of danger to a safer place.
Example: “Several families were evacuated from their homes”
Synonyms: Remove, Clear
Besieged
Meaning: Be inundated by large numbers of requests or complaints.
Example: “The television station was besieged with calls”
Synonyms: Overwhelm, Inundate
Enclave
Meaning: A portion of territory surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct.
Example: “The besieged Muslim enclave of Srebrenica”
Rebels
Meaning: A person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or leader.
Example: “Tory rebels”
Synonyms: Revolutionary, Insurgent
Outskirts
Meaning: The outer parts of a town or city.
Example: “He built a new factory on the outskirts of Birmingham”
Synonyms: Outlying districts, Edges
Bombardment
Meaning: A continuous attack with bombs, shells, or other missiles.
Example: “An aerial bombardment will precede the attack”
Synonyms: Shelling, Strafing
Apocalypse
Meaning: The complete final destruction of the world, as described in the biblical book of Revelation.
Example: “The bell’s ringing is supposed to usher in the Apocalypse”
Unanimously
Meaning: Without opposition; with the agreement of all people involved.
Example: “A committee of MPs has unanimously agreed to back his bill”
Synonyms: Without opposition, With one accord
Ceasefire
Meaning: A temporary suspension of fighting; a truce.
Example: “The latest ceasefire seems to be holding”
Siege
Meaning: A military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender.
Example: “Verdun had withstood a siege of ten weeks”
Synonyms: Blockade, Encirclement
Antonyms: Relief, Raising
Aid
Meaning: Help, typically of a practical nature.
Example: “He saw the pilot slumped in his cockpit and went to his aid”
Synonyms: Assistance, Support
Antonyms: Hindrance
Regime
Meaning: A government, especially an authoritarian one.
Example: “Ideological opponents of the regime”
Synonyms: Government, Authorities
Hostilities
Meaning: Hostile behaviour; unfriendliness or opposition.
Example: “Their hostility to all outsiders”
Synonyms: Antagonism, Unfriendliness
Antonyms: Friendliness, Approval
Eerie
Meaning: Strange and frightening.
Example: “An eerie green glow in the sky”
Synonyms: Uncanny, Sinister
Antonyms: Normal, Reassuring
Deter
Meaning: Discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
Example: “Only a health problem would deter him from seeking re-election”
Synonyms: Put off, Discourage, Dissuade
Antonyms: Encourage
Suburbs
Meaning: An outlying district of a city, especially a residential one.
Example: “A highly respectable suburb of Chicago”
Synonyms: Outlying district, Residential area
Conflict
Meaning: A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
Example: “The eternal conflict between the sexes”
Synonyms: Dispute, Quarrel
Antonyms: Agreement
Endangering
Meaning: Put (someone or something) at risk or in danger.
Example: “He was driving in a manner likely to endanger life”
Synonyms: Imperil, Jeopardize