Syria troops launch 'major operation' against Damascus rebels
Syrian troops are attacking a suburb of the capital Damascus in what activists described as one of the most violent campaigns since the year-old uprising began.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says “a major operation” is under way in the suburb of Douma, with tanks shelling the area and clashes between troops and army defectors.
Douma-based activist Mohammed Saeed said the operation is “one of the most violent campaigns against the area” since the uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime began in March last year.
The Observatory also said troops are clashing with rebel army defectors in the northern towns of Hraytan and Anadan near Aleppo, and there is fighting in the southern village of Kfar Shams.
The latest violence comes despite Syrian president Bashar Assad’s agreement to implement a ceasefire starting on April 10.
The truce is the keystone of a plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the joint UN-Arab League envoy, aimed at ending the country’s year-long crisis.
