UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and partners' mission to deliver humanitarian assistance to people in Douma in the besieged rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Monday was forced to be cut short due to escalating violence and insecurity, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.
"Airstrikes and shelling in Douma and shelling of Damascus (from Eastern Ghouta) continued for hours while the inter-agency convoy was delivering food for 27,500 people, in addition to health and nutrition supplies," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman.
"After nearly nine hours inside, the decision was made to leave for security reasons and to avoid jeopardizing the safety of humanitarian teams on the ground."
As a result, he said, 14 of the 46 trucks in the convoy were not able to fully offload critical humanitarian supplies. Of the 14, four were partially offloaded, he added.
The convoy of the United Nations, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross was the first to enter Eastern Ghouta since Nov. 15, 2017.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Feb. 24, demanding an immediate cease-fire across Syria to allow humanitarian access and urgent medical evacuations, as well as the lifting of siege on four locations, including Eastern Ghouta. But obviously the cease-fire has not materialized.
