Humanitarian evacuations under way from besieged Syrian towns
By Lisa Barrington BEIRUT (Reuters) – The humanitarian evacuation of 250 people from two Syrian towns besieged by pro-government forces and another 250 from two towns blocked off by rebels began on Wednesday, coordinated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The towns blockaded by pro-government forces are Zabadani and Madaya, near the Lebanese border. Jan Egeland, chairman of a U.N. humanitarian task force on Syria, said last week he was disappointed by a slowdown in aid access, largely due to blockages by government-backed forces.