Syria, Agence France-Presse Douma and other small towns in opposition- held Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, came under heavy shell- ing and bombardment. Responsibility for the attacks was difficult to verify. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that parts of the region had been under continuous siege by govern ment 2013, resulting in severe shortages of food and medical supplies. Men carry the wounded after airstrikes in Douma, on 21 January.