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  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 21:10

    Polls open in Russia presidential vote: state media 

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 16:49

    Regime seizes two towns from rebels in Syria's Ghouta: monitor

  • Port Louis (Mauritius) (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 14:37

    Scandal-tainted Mauritius president resigns: lawyer

  • London (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 13:33

    Russia's UK diplomat expulsion 'doesn't change facts of matter': May

  • London (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 13:26

    British Council 'profoundly disappointed' after Russia ban

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 12:11

    Turkish air strike kills 11 civilians in Syria's Afrin: monitor

  • Athens (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 10:56

    At least 14 migrants killed as boat capsizes off Greece: police

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 09:26

    Russia halts activities of British Council: foreign ministry

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 09:23

    Russia to expel 23 British diplomats: foreign ministry

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 09:16

    Air strikes on Syria's Ghouta kill 30 civilians: monitor

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 08:43

    More than 150,000 flee Syria's Afrin since Wednesday evening: monitor

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 08:32

    Russia summons British ambassador to foreign ministry

  • Kabul (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 06:57

    Car bomb rocks Kabul, multiple casualties: official

  • Beijing (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 03:46

    China's parliament unanimously gives Xi second term

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 03:30

    Ex-FBI deputy director McCabe fired: Attorney General

  • Ottawa (AFP) - 03/17/2018 - 01:26

    Canada to send peacekeepers to Mali: official

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 20:45

    Turkish air strike hits hospital in Syria's Afrin, 9 dead: monitor

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 18:17

    Macron calls for 'clear, ambitious' EU reform roadmap by June

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 18:15

    US, S.Korea say N.Korea can have 'brighter future': WHouse

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 18:00

    Russian planes have not intervened in Syria's Eastern Ghouta: military

  • Jerusalem (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 17:46

    Car ramming attack kills two Israelis in West Bank: media

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 17:39

    EU's Tusk says 'limited consensus' for eurozone reform push: draft

  • Johannesburg (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 17:26

    French arms firm Thales to face graft charges in S.Africa with Zuma

  • London (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 17:04

    UK police launch murder probe into death of Russian Nikolai Glushkov

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 17:04

    EU leaders to discuss UK ex-spy poisoning at summit: source

  • Damascus (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 16:39

    Syria army calls on residents of Ghouta to flee via 'corridors'

  • Kiev (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 16:27

    Kiev says Russians in Ukraine will be unable to vote in Sunday's election

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 16:23

    Syria UN envoy says 40,000 left E. Ghouta on Thursday

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 15:26

    Russia opens 'murder' probe into death of Glushkov in London

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 15:22

    Russia opens probe into 'attempted murder' of Skripal daughter

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 15:05

    German economy minister to travel to US for trade talks

  • Johannesburg (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 14:48

    S.Africa ex-president Zuma to face graft prosecution

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 14:05

    Britain's claim Putin ordered ex-spy poisoning 'unforgiveable': Kremlin

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 13:49

    Russia vows to respond to Britain over spy attack 'any minute'

  • New Delhi (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 13:47

    Air India to fly over Saudi airspace to Israel: spokesman

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 13:43

    Seven US troops killed in Iraq helicopter crash: US official

  • London (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 12:42

    Iraqi asylum seeker guilty of London Tube bombing

  • The Hague (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 11:49

    Top ICC official warns of 'negative impact' of Manila quitting

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 11:35

    Kremlin says response to Britain could come 'any minute'

  • Harare (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 11:11

    Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa says nation 'has moved on' from Mugabe era

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 11:00

    Strikes on Syria's Ghouta kill 42 civilians: monitor

  • Hong Kong (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 09:42

    Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing to retire

  • Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 09:23

    Russia will 'of course' expel British diplomats: Lavrov

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 09:10

    Turkish fire on Syria's Afrin kills 18 civilians: monitor

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 08:12

    Air strikes on Syria's Ghouta kill 10 civilians: monitor

  • Miami (AFP) - 03/16/2018 - 01:42

    Four dead in Miami bridge collapse: fire chief

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 20:16

    French court upholds life sentence for Carlos the Jackal

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 19:55

    French rail workers to go on strike starting April 3: union

  • Tehran (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 19:51

    Iran slams 'simple-minded' Saudi crown prince

  • Miami (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 19:35

    Pedestrian bridge collapses over Miami highway

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 19:10

    Nearly 20,000 civilians fled Syria's Ghouta on Thursday: monitor

  • Stockholm (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 18:45

    North Korean foreign minister arrives in Sweden for talks

  • Harare (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 18:39

    Ex-Zimbabwe leader Mugabe calls his ouster 'coup d'etat'

  • Jerusalem (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 17:07

    Israel court suspends plan to deport thousands of African migrants

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 16:36

    EU, US to meet 'next week' to discuss trade tariffs: sources

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 16:36

    Moscow had 'no programmes' to develop Novichok nerve agent: top diplomat

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 16:25

    Russia prepares response to US sanctions over alleged election meddling: official

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 16:04

    French arrest warrant out for Saudi crown prince's sister: source close to probe

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 15:57

    Trump to consider trade measures against China 'in coming weeks': advisor

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 15:40

    Turkish-led assault on Syria's Afrin displaced 30,000 in a day

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 15:37

    US hits Russia with new sanctions for election meddling, cyberattacks

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 15:36

    UN council says Yemen conditions 'devastating' for civilians

  • Salisbury (United Kingdom) (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 15:12

    British PM vows 'united stance' on spy poisoning on first visit to attack scene

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 14:57

    Syria regime controls 70 percent of Ghouta enclave: monitor

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 14:29

    Syria army captures key Ghouta town as rebels withdraw: monitor

  • London (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 14:11

    UK, US, France, Germany point to Russia over spy attack

  • Bratislava (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 14:07

    Slovak president says will ask deputy PM to form new govt

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 14:02

    More than 12,000 flee Syria's Eastern Ghouta: monitor

  • Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 13:41

    Brazil's Petrobras reduces losses to $139.7 million in 2017

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 13:30

    If Iran gets nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia will follow suit: crown prince

  • London (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 12:44

    UK says to invest £48m in chemical weapons defence after spy poisoning

  • Adra (Syria) (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 12:17

    Thousands flee Ghouta rebel enclave as Syria army advances: AFP

  • Rilly-sur-Vienne (France) (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 11:55

    France to take action over spy poisoning in coming days: Macron

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 10:48

    EU watchdog calls for reopening ethics case against Goldman's Barroso

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 10:22

    Macron backs UK claim that Russia behind spy attack

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 10:04

    New convoy of food aid enters Syria's rebel Ghouta: ICRC

  • The Hague (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 08:38

    Unilever choses post-Brexit Dutch HQ over London

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/15/2018 - 07:13

    Toys 'R' US to shut down US operations

  • Ljubljana (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 23:28

    Slovenian PM resigns over court ruling on referendum

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 23:03

    Syria regime enters key rebel-held Ghouta town: monitor

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 20:50

    US at UN: Russia 'responsible' for spy attack in Britain

  • Bratislava (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 19:22

    Slovakian Prime Minister Fico offers resignation

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 18:20

    US launches WTO action on Indian export subsidies

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 17:31

    UN chief says use of nerve agent in Britain 'unacceptable'

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 17:06

    Moscow says will retaliate soon to Britain's expulsion of diplomats

  • La Paz (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 16:42

    Six inmates killed in Bolivia as police storm prison

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 16:32

    Bombardment kills 25 civilians in Syria's Ghouta: monitor

  • Tehran (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 14:49

    Iran says Tillerson firing shows US 'determined' to quit nuclear deal

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 14:08

    May says 'tragic' that Putin 'has chosen to act this way'

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 13:56

    UK suspends high-level diplomatic contact with Russia over spy poisoning: May

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 13:54

    Britain to expel 23 Russian diplomats over spy poisoning: May

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 13:49

    Britain's May says Russian state 'culpable' of spy poisoning

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 13:26

    Broadcom withdraws Qualcomm offer after Trump blocks bid

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 13:00

    UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on poisoning of ex-spy

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 12:48

    Merkel to meet Macron in Paris on Friday: Elysee

  • Helsinki (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 12:34

    EU's Tusk urges Trump to 'make trade, not war'

  • Helsinki (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 12:29

    EU's Tusk says Moscow 'most likely' behind UK ex-spy attack

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 12:10

    Merkel takes oath of office for fourth term

  • ANKARA (Turkey) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 11:58

    Erdogan hopes Afrin will be 'totally encircled' by evening, not seized: presidency

  • Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 11:34

    Syria Kurds say Turkish hopes of taking Afrin by evening a 'daydream'

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 11:29

    EU unlocks new 3 bn euro Turkey migrant deal tranche

  • Ankara (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 10:46

    Erdogan hopes Kurdish-held Afrin 'will fall by evening'

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 10:35

    Kremlin says ties with US cannot get any worse under new Secretary of State

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 10:34

    Kremlin rejects 'unfounded accusations', ultimatums over poisoning row

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 10:25

    Turkish raids kill 10 Syria regime loyalists near Afrin: monitor

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 10:00

    Merkel re-elected by German parliament to fourth term

  • Port Louis (Mauritius) (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 09:50

    Mauritius president refuses to resign over financial scandal

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 09:45

    UK's May hails Hawking as 'brilliant and extraordinary mind'

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 08:49

    UK insurer Prudential says to split into two

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 08:28

    France to take legal action against Google, Apple for 'abusive' practices

  • Manila (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 07:58

    Philippines' Duterte moves to quit International Criminal Court

  • Hong Kong (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 05:26

    Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific posts HK$1.26 bn loss for 2017

  • London (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 04:54

    British scientist Stephen Hawking dead at age 76: family spokesman

  • Seoul (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 01:33

    Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak reports for questioning

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/14/2018 - 01:02

    Warming could threaten half of species in 33 key areas: report

  • Freetown (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 21:27

    Sierra Leone's two main parties in March 27 presidential runoff: election commission

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 19:36

    Sacked Tillerson: US must respond to Russia's behavior

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 19:17

    Trump demands 'answers' from Russia on ex-spy attack

  • Miami (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 19:16

    Prosecutors to seek death penalty for Florida school shooter

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 19:09

    Macron blasts 'unacceptable attack' on ex-spy in Britain

  • Jerusalem (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 19:01

    Israel govt says deal reached signalling end of crisis

  • London (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 18:40

    Russia demands 'joint investigation' into UK spy attack: embassy

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 18:31

    Merkel says taking UK claims of Russia link to spy attack 'extremely seriously'

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 18:23

    Moscow threatens to bar UK media if Britain bans Russian broadcaster

  • London (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 18:04

    Russian exile found dead in London in unexplained circumstances: reports

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 17:35

    Top State Dept aide fired after comment on Tillerson sacking

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 16:28

    France says no justification for scale of Turkey's Syria offensive

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 15:25

    British accusations on spy poisoning 'attempt to discredit Russia': Moscow

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 15:22

    Russia link to ex-spy attack in UK would be 'very serious': Germany

  • Bunia (DR Congo) (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 15:04

    At least 30 killed in troubled eastern DR Congo province

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 14:52

    Tillerson 'unaware' of reason sacked by Trump

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 14:51

    Poisoning of spy in UK 'sounds' like work of Russia: Trump

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 14:44

    Trump says 'disagreed on things' with Tillerson

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 14:15

    Trump wanted new team ahead of N.Korea talks: US official

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 13:53

    Trump says top diplomat Tillerson out, names Pompeo successor

  • London (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 13:53

    Britain sees better than expected growth in 2018

  • London (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 13:39

    UK security chiefs to evaluate Russia response on Wednesday

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 13:19

    Attack on Russian ex-spy in Britain 'totally unacceptable': France

  • Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 12:54

    EU voices 'unwavering' solidarity with UK over nerve agent attack

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:58

    Russia summons British ambassador in poisoning row

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:37

    Russia 'not guilty' of poisoning, ready to cooperate: Lavrov

  • The Hague (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:35

    Russia ex-spy poisoning 'extremely worrying': Chemical weapons watchdog

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:35

    Russia demands Britain provide access to nerve agent: Lavrov

  • Istanbul (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:28

    Turkey demands life sentence for detained US pastor: reports

  • Baghdad (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 11:05

    Baghdad ends air blockade of Iraqi Kurdistan

  • Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 10:49

    Palestinian PM cuts short Gaza visit after explosion: source

  • Addis Ababa (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 10:20

    Bus crash kills 38 in Ethiopia: state media

  • Vienna (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 10:19

    Vienna knife attacker had Islamist sympathies

  • Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 09:51

    Explosion as Palestinian PM enters Gaza: witnesses

  • Ankara (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 09:10

    Turkish forces surround Afrin city in Syria operation: army

  • Aden (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 08:39

    Suicide bombing hits UAE-backed force in Yemen's Aden: security source

  • Kabul (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 07:04

    US Defence Secretary Mattis arrives in Kabul on unannounced visit 

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/13/2018 - 00:23

    Tillerson: Russia likely behind UK nerve agent attack

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 23:52

    NATO chief expresses 'great concern' over Russian spy attack

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 23:35

    House panel finds 'no evidence' of Trump-Russia election collusion

  • New York (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 21:07

    Nasdaq ends at record high, Dow falls on trade war worries

  • Chicago (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 20:58

    Police say three Texas package bombings 'related'

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 20:18

    Saudi crown prince to visit White House on March 20

  • Berlin (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 19:45

    Convicted 'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz' dies aged 96: report

  • Ottawa (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 19:24

    Canada's Trudeau accuses China of 'dumping' steel on global markets

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 18:52

    Russia says May's spy statement a 'provocation': agencies

  • London (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 18:30

    'Highly likely' Russia responsible for spy poisoning: May

  • Bogota (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 18:20

    Colombia's Santos orders resumption of talks with ELN rebels

  • Abuja (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 18:01

    US still 'not heard directly back' from N.Korea: Tillerson

  • Abuja (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 17:25

    Tillerson vows US 'full support' for Nigeria in jihadism fight

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 16:53

    US presents new UN draft resolution on Syria ceasefire

  • London (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 16:47

    UK playing 'dangerous game' over spy poisoning: Russian embassy

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 16:43

    UN chief urges aid deliveries, medical evacuations in Syria enclave

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 16:18

    France urges Russia to stop Syria 'bloodbath'

  • London (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 16:17

    Two hospitalised after 'suspicious package' found at UK parliament

  • Moscow (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 15:44

    Putin says UK must clarify spy poisoning before talking with Moscow: agencies

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 15:32

    Hundreds flee Turkish advance on Afrin city: monitor

  • Kirkuk (Iraq) (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 14:50

    25 killed in IS attacks in northern Iraq: officials

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 14:29

    Over 1,000 need urgent medical evacuation from Syria's Ghouta: UN

  • Paris (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 14:06

    French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy dies aged 91

  • London (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 14:03

    Britain's May to make spy poisoning statement later Monday

  • Washington (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 13:38

    Trump says Ross, EU to discuss tariffs, trade barriers

  • Kathmandu (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 12:28

    At least 40 dead, 23 injured in Kathmandu plane crash: official

  • Kathmandu (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 12:02

    At least 27 killed in Kathmandu plane crash: official

  • Kathmandu (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 11:01

    Bodies recovered from crashed plane in Nepal: official

  • Bratislava (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 10:52

    Slovak interior minister quits after journalist murder

  • Brussels (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 10:38

    EU will stand up to protectionist trade 'bullies'

  • Beirut (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 10:33

    Syria war has killed more than 350,000 in 7 years: monitor

  • Kathmandu (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 10:27

    Bangladeshi passenger plane crashes near Kathmandu airport

  • Dhaka (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 09:53

    Bangladesh court grants bail to jailed opposition chief

  • Bogota (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 03:16

    Right-wing parties lead Colombia vote: partial results

  • Vienna (AFP) - 03/12/2018 - 02:30

    Knife attacker shot dead outside Iran ambassador's Vienna residence: police

  • Tehran (AFP) - 03/11/2018 - 17:00

    Private Turkish plane crashes in Iran on way from UAE: state TV

  • Lille (France) (AFP) - 03/11/2018 - 16:31

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    Nerve agent used in ex-spy attack found at UK pub, restaurant

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Thousands of Syrians flee raging assaults on two fronts

AFP / STRINGER Syrian civilians flee from the town of Jisreen in the Eastern Ghouta enclave on the way to areas under government control on March 17, 2018

Thousands of terrified Syrian civilians fled for their lives on Saturday, as they sought to escape two raging offensives in a rebel bastion outside Damascus and a northwestern Kurdish enclave.

Syria's civil war this week entered its eighth year with world powers unable to stem a complex conflict that has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced at least half the country's population.

Tens of thousands have taken to the roads with their belongings, as Russia-backed regime fighters push deeper into rebel Eastern Ghouta outside the capital and Turkey-led forces press an assault in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin.

Civilians trudged out of Eastern Ghouta's Jisreen on Saturday after regime forces seized control of the town, many with small children walking by their sides.

One man held up a Syrian flag as regime tanks rolled by.

AFP / STRINGER A Syrian boy carries sacks past government soldiers as civilians flee the Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave on March 17, 2018

An AFP reporter in the nearby town of Arbin heard intense bombardment, as the month-long assault that has claimed over 1,400 civilian lives ground on.

Air strikes killed 37 civilians across the shrinking rebel territory Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported, most of them in the town of Zamalka as they prepared to flee.

Throughout the day some 20,000 people did manage to stream out of the last rebel stronghold near Damascus, taking the total number to escape the carnage over the past three days to an estimated 50,000, the monitor said.

Regime forces have retaken some 80 percent of Eastern Ghouta since launching a brutal air and ground offensive on February 18, carving it up into three ever-smaller pockets held by different rebel groups.

In their latest advances Saturday pro-government forces took control of the two towns of Kafr Batna and Sabqa in the southern pocket held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group, the monitor said.

- Clutching blankets -

AFP / STRINGER Members of the Syrian government forces ride in a tank in Eastern Ghouta on March 17, 2018

Syrian state television showed dozens of civilians -- men, women, children and the elderly -- plodding along a road leading into regime-held territory.

Several dragged suitcases while others carried children, kicking up dust from the road as they marched. Those fleeing clutched blankets or wore thick winter coats.

Some civilians who have arrived in government-controlled territory have complained of having nowhere to sleep.

"Women and children are on the floor," Abu Khaled, 35, who used to run a clothing shop in Ghouta told AFP.

Since 2013, Eastern Ghouta's estimated 400,000 residents lived under government siege, facing severe food and medecine shortages in the enclave.

Sixty patients were evacuated from the main town of Douma on Saturday, a medical source told AFP, on the fifth day straight of such evacuations.

An AFP reporter there said shelling hit the town during the operation.

AFP / BULENT KILIC Syrians arrive at a checkpoint on March 17, 2018 as civilians flee the city of Afrin

On Saturday, rebel artillery fire killed one person in the capital, the Observatory said.

In northwestern Syria meanwhile, more than 200,000 civilians have fled the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in less than three days, according to the monitor.

On Saturday, a Turkish air strike killed 11 civilians in the city as they tried to leave, it said.

"There was fierce fighting throughout the night... as the Turkish forces and their Syrian allies tried to break into the city," the Observatory said.

The monitor says more than 280 civilians have been killed since Turkey's Afrin campaign began, but Ankara has denied the reports and repeatedly said it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

- Sleeping rough -

Turkey and its Syrian Arab rebel allies have waged a nearly two-month offensive on the Afrin enclave, which is held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Earlier this week, they largely surrounded the enclave's sole city, which was home to some 350,000 people, including people displaced from other parts of the enclave already overrun.

A single escape route remains open to the south to territory still held by the YPG or controlled by the Damascus government.

AFP / BULENT KILIC Syrians arrive at a checkpoint in the country's north on March 17, 2018 as civilians flee the city of Afrin

In a regime-held area just outside Afrin, Syrians who had fled their homes were sleeping in mosques and schools -- some even in shops, a displaced person there said.

"Some sleep in cars or on the roadside," said the person, asking not to be named, adding that rent prices in the area had soared.

Late Friday, a Turkish bombing raid struck the city's main hospital, killing 16 civilians, the Observatory said.

Turkey's military denied hitting the hospital, saying that its operation in Afrin "is carried out in such a way as to not cause any harm to civilians".

Hospital director Jiwan Mohammed told state news agency SANA the strikes had put the hospital -- until then, the city's only functioning medical facility -- out of service.

Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

But the Kurdish militia has also formed the backbone of a US-backed alliance that has successfully expelled the Islamic State jihadist group from large parts of Syria.

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