Syria regains control of Douma after gas attack

The Syrian government has gained control of the town of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave, the Russian military said Thursday. If confirmed, it would signal a victory for President Bashir al-Assad’s troops and their Syrian allies after staging a Russian-backed offensive in the region. “The raised state flag over a building in the town of Douma has heralded the control over this location and therefore over the whole of Eastern Ghouta,” said Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, who heads the Russian Peace and Reconciliation Center in Syria, according to Russian news agencies. Health responders last week accused Syrian troops of staging a chemical attack on Douma over the weekend that killed more than 40 people. The attack sparked international condemnation even as Syria and Russia denied responsibility. U.S. President Donald Trump in a Thursday tweet said a retaliatory strike against Syria could occur “very soon or not so soon at all!”