Syrian Capital Damascus Prepares for Christmas without Mortar Fire (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Christmas decorations are going up for the first time in years in a Damascus neighborhood that was a frontline in a foreign-backed war until government forces wiped out the last militant enclaves in the capital earlier this year.
Abbasiyeen Square, where mortars regularly fell, and nearby parts of the city are being decked out with lighting and Christmas trees, while musicians with a local scout troop are preparing for a Christmas march not seen for years.
The eastern edge of Damascus bore the brunt of terrorists shelling until government forces recovered control of the Ghouta region in a Russian-backed offensive.
Following the recovery of eastern Ghouta in April, government forces moved on to take back the Yarmouk area south of the capital, bringing all Damascus back under state control.
A video provided by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows people preparing for the Christmas festival.
