Syrian military retakes capital as fighting moves to Aleppo
Damascus (AsiaNews) -After six days of fighting between rebels and the troops of Bashar al-Assad, some neighbourhoods in the capital lay in ruins, with empty streets and universities, as food prices skyrocket. Sources told AsiaNews that gunfire can still be heard in the city's northern districts, a rebel stronghold, but the regular army has taken back most areas from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
"The military employed helicopters and heavy equipment to drive out FSA fighters, razing entire neighbourhoods to the ground," the sources said.
Although "things are getting back to normal in many areas, and Damascus governor today said that everything would be rebuilt, people are still afraid and many are fleeing to other cities or towards the border with Lebanon and Turkey."
Sources noted that in the past few days of terror and tensions, the only organisation close to people was the Church, which is providing food and humanitarian aid to people displaced from Homs and residents from districts hit by shelling.
Rebels have resumed their offensive in Aleppo, where heavy shelling hit the southern districts of the city.
The regime is using combat helicopters and planes to retake control of areas in FSA hands, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory reported.
In other anti-regime strongholds like Homs, Damascus, Hama, Idlib and Dayr az Zor, government forces have started shelling again.
Today, Turkey closed its border with Syria to stop further incursions into its territory.
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