Syrian troops battle to retake rebel-held areas

Regime forces press on against opposition in Homs, Damascus and Aleppo regions

3 July 2013, 11:33 am
In this Sunday, June 30, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, homes are seen destroyed by Syrian government airstrikes and shelling in Aleppo, Syria (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center AMC)

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government forces pressed ahead with the battle to take back areas they have dominated throughout the country.

Syrian activists said clashes were underway Wednesday in the northern province of Aleppo, in the region around the capital, Damascus, and in the besieged city of Homs.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting was fiercest in towns and villages in the strategic Aleppo. The province abuts the Turkish border, and is an important gateway for rebel fighters to bring in weapons and supplies.

Homs-based activist Tariq Badrakhan says government forces are also continuing their campaign, now in its fourth day, to seize parts of the central city of Homs that have been in rebel hands for over a year.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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