Clashes between Assad forces, rebels, major explosion reported in Damascus![]() August 11, 2012 - 16:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad clashed with rebels in the heart of the capital Damascus near the Syrian central bank on Saturday, August 11 a resident told Reuters, the agency reported. An explosion was followed by fighting, said the resident, who asked not to be named for fear of arrest. "The explosion was huge. There has been fighting for the past half an hour along Pakistan street. I am very close. Can you hear that?" she asked, to the sound of a loud bang. Partner news Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates. Moscow has condemned other nations for supporting rebel forces and failing to condemn what it describes as terrorist attacks on the Syrian regime. Partner news |