Syrian rebels reinforce key Damascus suburb to push back govt. troops

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian rebels poured reinforcements into a key Damascus suburb on Tuesday, July 16 in an attempt to push back government troops who have renewed their campaign to secure the capital and build on battlefield gains elsewhere in the country, Reuters said.

Fighting centered on Qaboun, a rebel-held district where Syrian troops backed by tanks and artillery had made inroads on Monday as part of efforts to consolidate control over Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad's power base.

After two years of rebel gains in a war that has cost more than 90,000 lives, the tide has turned somewhat for Assad's forces, allowing them to seize the city of Qusair last month and press on with a campaign to link Damascus to Assad's coastal strongholds.

In facing down the mainly Sunni rebels seeking to oust him, the Syrian leader has received important backing from Shi'ite Iran and from Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon as the war takes on an increasingly sectarian aspect.

At the same time, the rebels are plagued by infighting between Islamist fighters and members of the more liberal Free Syrian Army, which is backed by the West and some Arab nations.

Assad's forces are pressing their campaign at a time when the Free Syrian Army has yet to receive weapons promised by Washington but delayed by objections by U.S. lawmakers.