US Military Turning Syria's Rukban Camp Into Prison - Syrian Deputy Defense Minister

The US armed forces have worked with terrorists to prevent anyone from leaving Syria's Rukban refugee camp, effectively turning it into a prison, Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Mahmoud Shawa said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2019) The US armed forces have worked with terrorists to prevent anyone from leaving Syria's Rukban refugee camp, effectively turning it into a prison, Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Mahmoud Shawa said on Wednesday.

"In addition, the US troops, in collaboration with terrorists, have turned Rukban camp into a true prison, preventing those who want to leave [from doing so]. All of this shows that the US government violates international laws," Shawa said at the Moscow Conference on International Security.

The Rukban refugee camp is located in a zone controlled by the United States around its base in At-Tanf. The Russian and Syrian militaries have repeatedly said that the situation in the camp, which hosts more than 40,000 internally displaced people, mostly women and children, is nearing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Both Syria and Russia have repeatedly called on the United States to allow refugees who want to leave the camp to do so and even set up humanitarian corridors to facilitate their return.

In January, the World Health Organization described the people in the camp as "trapped," adding that they lived "in deplorable conditions." Limited water supply, bitterly cold weather and poor health care facilities contribute to the spread of diseases, which include influenza, measles, tuberculosis and chronic respiratory diseases, the organization said.