Eleven killed in Syrian army attack in Damascus area

At least 11 people were killed in fierce fighting that broke out in a Damascus suburb today when Syrian forces mounted an armoured attack to try and regain the area from rebels, opposition activists said.

After three days of heavy army shelling and helicopter bombardment, tanks and armoured carriers advanced on the conservative Sunni Muslim suburb of al-Tel on the northern edge of Damascus but were repelled by the rebels, two activists in the suburb said by telephone.

With restrictions imposed by Syrian authorities on independent media, it was difficult to verify the activists' account.