Syrian Troops Retake Damascus Suburbs

After two days of bombardment and fighting, the Syrian army seized control of Damascus eastern suburbs from opposition fighters. The fighting occurred as the Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in the country citing worsening violence.
Activists said 19 civilians and rebel fighters were killed as soldiers in armored personnel carriers moved in to the suburbs at dawn, along with tanks and other armored vehicles. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a total of 41 civilian deaths across Syria on Sunday, including 14 in Homs province and 12 in the city of Hama. Thirty-one soldiers and members of the security forces were also killed. While Damascus itself has largely remained quiet during the 10-month long insurgency, rebels have been gradually approaching the capital, whose suburbs, a series of mainly conservative Sunni Muslim towns, are home to the bulk of Damascus’s population.