Dahiyat Harasta
Place in Rif Dimashq, Syria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dahiyat AlSham (Arabic: ضاحية الشام, lit. 'AlSham Suburb') is a suburb in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located northeast of Damascus, near Harasta in Eastern Ghouta. Formerly, it was known as Dahiyat al-Assad.
Dahiyat AlSham
ضاحية الشام | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Dahiyat AlSham | |
  Dahiyat AlSham Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 33°34′52″N 36°21′36″E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | Douma |
| Subdistrict | Harasta |
| Population (2004 census) | |
• Total | 9,858[1] |
History
The suburb was established in 1982 by Hafez al-Assad to house Syrian Arab Army officers and their families.[2]
On 4 September 2015, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that dozens of shells landed on Dahiyat al-Assad, information reported casualties. The clashes took place between the regime forces and allied militiamen against the rebel and Islamist factions.[3]
On 10 September 2015, non-State armed opposition groups made advances from Eastern Ghouta towards Tall al-Kurdi and reached positions close to Adra Prison and Dahiyat al-Assad. Around 15,000 civilians were temporarily displaced from Dahiyat al-Assad and surrounding areas as a result. Government forces subsequently halted the advances in Dahiyat al-Assad.[4]
On 12 September 2015, rebels pushed into the town of Dahiyat al-Assad, but were reportedly pushed back by the National Defence Forces (NDF).[5] Around 200 men of the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard were brought in as reinforcements to recapture two hills overlooking Dahiyat al-Assad.[6]