Syria jihadists of IE seized the Yarmouk Palestinian camp

In Syria, the Islamic State group seized control Wednesday of a large part of the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, located in the southern suburbs of Damascus. The jihadists have infiltrated in the camp before launching an assault against Palestinian armed groups who held the spot.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), the army of Bashar al-Assad bombed the camp, seen as a hotbed of the insurgency.

Yarmouk is the largest Palestinian camp in Syria. It was created in the 50s to accommodate the Palestinian refugees. Before the start of the war in Syria in 2011, more than 150 000 people living there. Now they are less than 20,000.

The Syrian regime has established for more than a year, a seat in this area, resulting in shortages of food, water and medicines.

> Read the agency of the United Nations for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) - (English version only).

This is the first time that the Islamic state group emerged as close to the capital. So far, it is mainly in the north that jihadists are active.