31 Pinays arrive in PHL from strife-torn Syria



A group of 31 Filipinas arrived in Manila from strife-torn Syria on Wednesday with the help of Philippine embassies in Damascus and Beirut.
 
The group arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I aboard Qatar Airways flight QR 646
 
They were first brought to Beirut before being flown to Manila where they were welcomed by personnel from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
 
The group's arrival brings the total number of Filipino repatriates from Syria to 3,764.
 
The DFA also reiterates its appeal to Filipinos in Syria to avail of the repatriation process to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
 
Chemical warfare
 
The Syrian conflict between its government and rebels have been ongoing for two years.
 
This has resulted in countless dead with the recent clash between the two groups resulting in alleged usage of chemical weapons against each other.
 
According to a report from news site Reuters, Syria's state television said rebels fired a rocket carrying chemical agents that killed 25 people and wounded dozens.  
 
The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said 16 soldiers were among the dead. 
 
The report said no Western governments or international organizations confirmed a chemical attack in Syria, but Russia, an ally of Damascus, accused rebels of carrying out such a strike. 
 
Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Meqdad warned that the violence that had engulfed Syria was a regional threat. 
 
"This is rather a starting point from which (the danger) will spread to the entire region, if not the entire world," he said.
 
The United States on the other hand said it had no evidence to substantiate charges that the rebels had used chemical weapons. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

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