Heavy fighting erupts in Damascus as rebels launch offensive February 6, 2013 - 14:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Heavy fighting erupted in Damascus on Wednesday, Feb 6, after opposition fighters launched a coordinated offensive from the suburbs against President Bashar al-Assad's forces, breaking a lull in the capital, opposition campaigners said, according to Reuters. The authorities closed the main Abbasid Square and the Fares al-Khoury thoroughfare as fighters attacked road blocks and fortifications with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds, said several activists speaking form the capital. "The areas of Jobar, Zamalka, al-Zablatani and parts of Qaboun and the ring road have become a battleground," activist Fida Mohammad said from the district of Qaboun. Another activist said an army tank stationed at the main al-Kabbas roadblock on the ring road had been destroyed. Residents reported the sound of explosions across eastern and northern district of the capital. Partner news  Top stories Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Earlier, at least five Azerbaijan soldiers were killed and six seriously injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree and overturned. Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes.   Partner news |  Latest news Deputy FM slams Azeri attempts to distort reality behind Karabakh conflict  Shavarsh Kocharyan: Baku’s statements on unacceptability of a status quo in Karabakh conflict aim to prevent alteration of the status.Armenia’s Consumers Association slams gas price hike Head of Armenia’s Consumers Association NGO addressed a letter to Human Rights Defender over gas price rise.“Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth to headline “Aurora Rising” action flick A surfer who becomes a fighter pilot is recruited to be part of an elite team to test a new generation of aircraft just as an int’l conflict begins."Teen Wolf" star Dylan O'Brien to topline DreamWorks' "Glimmer" O'Brien is currently filming the lead role in Fox's adaptation of bestselling novel "The Maze Runner." |
