U.S. calls Russia idea of Syria humanitarian corridors 'a joke' 3/2/2018 10:48:52 PM US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert WASHINGTON (Reuters) March 1, 2018  - Russian proposals for humanitarian corridors to evacuate people from Eastern Ghouta in Syria are a“joke” and people are afraid to use them for fear of conscription, exile or death, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. “The idea that Russia is calling for a so-called humanitarian corridor, I want to be clear, is a joke,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a briefing. Residents fear using such corridors because they could be conscripted into Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, never return to their homes, or be killed, she said.