Syria’s Al Assad visits refugees near Damascus

Damascus: Syria’s state TV is reporting that President Bashar Al Assad has made a rare public appearance, visiting people displaced by the war in a Damascus suburb.

The TV says the visit took place on Wednesday in the suburb of Adra but gave no further details.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive in Adra, just north-east of Damascus, after rebels captured parts of it in December, which displaced thousands from the area.

Syria’s civil war, now entering its fourth year, has killed more than 140,000 people. According to UN figures, the conflict has also forced about 2.3 million Syrians to seek shelter in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq. Also, a July UN estimate said 6.5 million have been uprooted from their homes and displaced within Syria.