Syrian troops step up attacks on restive areas, says opposition

23 September 2012, 14:11 (GMT+05:00)

See Also:

Syrian government troops on Sunday bombarded several areas and clashed with rebels in the embattled northern city of Aleppo, reported the opposition, a day after a major rebel group said it had moved its base from Turkey to Syria, DPA reported.

Government troops "fiercely" shelled the northern province of Idlib, Daraa in south and the town of al-Rastan in the central province of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Heavy fighting meanwhile erupted between government troops and rebels in Aleppo, the country's biggest city and commercial hub, added the London-based organization.

The rebel Free Syrian Army said on Saturday it had relocated its command centre from Turkey into Syria for the first time since it was created 19 months ago.

At least 210 people, including 44 in Aleppo, were killed in Syria Saturday, said the opposition, making it one of the deadliest days since the uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad started in March last year.

Information filtering out of Syria is hard to verify, as the government has barred most foreign media from restive areas.