Saturday, September 8, 2012

Syrian army 'storms' town on the border with Jordan

(BBC) The Syrian army has attacked a town on the border with Jordan which has been a transit point for refugees leaving the country, activists say.

Soldiers, backed by at least 20 tanks, mounted the assault on the town of Tal Shehab, according to opposition groups.

The town had been in the hands of anti-government rebels and is a crossing point for refugees fleeing to Jordan.

Fighting was also reported elsewhere, including the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus.

Activists and residents said there had been shelling in Yarmouk, with at least five people killed and several injured.

Video footage uploaded by activists purporting to show the aftermath of the shelling showed several badly damaged buildings.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of opposition activists inside Syria, said that at least 67 people had been killed on Thursday, mostly in Damascus and the surrounding area.

Ten people were killed in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor and eight in Deraa, the LCC said.

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