Syrian government forces poised to slice eastern Ghouta in two: commander

By Laila Bassam and Suleiman Al-KhalidiBEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's army is poised to slice rebel-held eastern Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east link up with troops at its western edge, a pro-Damascus commander said on Thursday.The government, backed in the war by Russia and Iran, is seeking to crush the last major rebel enclave near the capital in a ferocious campaign that the aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says has killed more than 1,000 people.Rebels, who accuse t