BEIRUT – Hundreds of residents of a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus fled Sunday after shelling by government forces and clashes between Islamic State fighters and Palestinian militants, activists said.
An activist based in an area just south of Damascus, Hatem al-Dimashqi, said many residents started fleeing the Yarmouk camp after midnight as the fighting let up. The camp has been subjected to intense shelling and airstrikes by the government.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and al-Dimashqi said those who fled the camp have reached the southern Damascus suburbs of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem, which are under rebel control.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in Ramallah that residents of Yarmouk have been victimized by Syria’s civil war. Government forces and different rebel factions are clashing and “we pay the price,” he said.
He added that the Palestine Liberation Organization in Damascus has formed a “cell to handle this tragedy and they are trying to work it out with the least losses.” Abbas said: “We are in touch with our brothers there to find a way out and protect our people.”
Islamic State militants stormed the camp on Wednesday, marking the extremist group’s deepest foray yet into the capital. Palestinian officials and Syrian activists said they were working with rivals from the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front. The two groups have fought bloody battles against each other in other parts of Syria, but appear to be co-operating in the attack on Yarmouk.
The Nusra Front said in a statement Sunday that it is not participating in the battles and is taking a neutral stance. The statement added that Nusra opened its offices and welcomed all those who don’t want to take part in the fighting and gave them refuge.
The Observatory said the fighting has killed 26 people since the clashes first broke out.
In Damascus, Anwar Raja, the spokesman for Damsascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, which supports embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, said several pro-Assad factions have united to defend the camp. He said more than 100 civilians have been either killed or kidnapped by the IS fighters whom he said now control about half the camp, adding that the priority now is to evacuate civilians.
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