Syria airstrikes leave 'scores dead' in north

03/11/2012| IslamWeb

Syrian army warplanes have launched airstrikes in the north of the country, leaving scores of people dead, activists have said.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, said on Friday that 70 people had been killed in the offensive in the town of Harem in Idlib province.

Syrian regime forces have also intensified air strikes on Eastern Ghouta in the suburbs of the capital Damascus, an activist told the AFP news agency.

Moaz al-Shami said Bashar al-Assad's forces had resorted to heavy aerial bombardments after failed attempts by ground troops to seize back the suburbs.

Activists reported the deaths of seven people in airstrikes in the suburb of Douma, amid clashes in the city.

Opposition forces advance

In Idlib province, the Syrian regime army was reported to have abandoned its last base near the town of Saraqeb, after a fierce assault by opposition forces, further isolating the strategically important second city from the capital.

Opposition activists said on Friday government troops left the town and surrounding areas "completely outside the control of regime forces".

The pullout followed coordinated opposition attacks on Thursday against three military posts around Saraqeb, 50km southwest of Aleppo, in which 28 soldiers were killed.

PHOTO CAPTION

Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, after Friday prayers in Houla near Homs November 2, 2012.

Al-Jazeera