Syrian army attacked for laying siege to Damascus
27 Nov 2013 4:25 AM IST
More than 100 rebel fighters have been killed in the countryside of Syrian capital city of Damascus as they attempted to break the government troops’ siege, media reported on Monday.
The Syrian troops repelled the rebels’ attack against military base and checkpoints in the towns of Baharieh, Qasimieh, and Qaria al-Shamieh area in the eastern al-Ghouta suburb, reports Xinhua.
The incident came to light as hundreds of rebel fighters reportedly infiltrated from neighbouring Jordan to help the trapped rebels in the besieged al-Ghouta countryside.
The battles in the south and east of Damascus have been coupled with others on the northern rim of the capital, namely in Deir Attieh town, located in the al-Qalamoun mountains.
Following the government troops’ recapture of Qara town in al-Qalamoun, more than 500 radical rebels from the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have stormed Deir Attieh and are entrenched there, if media reports are to be believed.
The Syrian troops recently tightened the siege on the town in a bid to recapture it from the Nusra fighters.
Peace talks between Syrian rebels, government to be held on January 22, says United Nations
GENEVA: The United Nations said on Monday that Syria’s government and opposition will hold their first-ever peace talks in Geneva on 22 January, in an attempt to halt the nearly three-year-old civil war that has killed over 100,000 people.
Previous attempts to bring the two sides together have failed mainly because of disputes over who should represent the Syrian opposition and government.
The talks also failed on the issue of whether Iran, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers should be at the table. In a statement on Monday, the United Nations said the ‘Geneva conference is the vehicle for a peaceful transition that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of all the Syrian people for freedom and dignity, and which guarantees safety and protection to all communities in Syria’.
The Syrian troops repelled the rebels’ attack against military base and checkpoints in the towns of Baharieh, Qasimieh, and Qaria al-Shamieh area in the eastern al-Ghouta suburb, reports Xinhua.
The incident came to light as hundreds of rebel fighters reportedly infiltrated from neighbouring Jordan to help the trapped rebels in the besieged al-Ghouta countryside.
The battles in the south and east of Damascus have been coupled with others on the northern rim of the capital, namely in Deir Attieh town, located in the al-Qalamoun mountains.
Following the government troops’ recapture of Qara town in al-Qalamoun, more than 500 radical rebels from the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have stormed Deir Attieh and are entrenched there, if media reports are to be believed.
The Syrian troops recently tightened the siege on the town in a bid to recapture it from the Nusra fighters.
Peace talks between Syrian rebels, government to be held on January 22, says United Nations
GENEVA: The United Nations said on Monday that Syria’s government and opposition will hold their first-ever peace talks in Geneva on 22 January, in an attempt to halt the nearly three-year-old civil war that has killed over 100,000 people.
Previous attempts to bring the two sides together have failed mainly because of disputes over who should represent the Syrian opposition and government.
The talks also failed on the issue of whether Iran, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers should be at the table. In a statement on Monday, the United Nations said the ‘Geneva conference is the vehicle for a peaceful transition that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of all the Syrian people for freedom and dignity, and which guarantees safety and protection to all communities in Syria’.
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