Syria: Defectors, Opposition reported as having taken control over city near Damascus
A senior member of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is being quoted saying that city of Douma (~12 miles from Damascus) was siezed after intense combat with Syrian armed forces:
Defectors take control of city near Syrian capitol
President of the British-based opposition activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, was quoted by the news agency as saying that the group of defectors took over the entire city after heavy clashes with Syrian security forces. The report could not be confirmed.
Douma, located 20 kilometers from Damascus, is home to some 111,000 residents. According to the report, at least four local residents were killed Saturday afternoon while attending funeral processions.
Meanwhile, the main opposition group in Syria issued an official request with the Arab League, asking for the United Nations’ Security Council to address the crisis in the country.
“We believe that if the Arab League will ask the UN and the Arab League to discuss the matter, the situation will change,” said Basma Kadmani, a leading member of the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council.
The Opposition says some 95 people were killed on Saturday during clashes between Syrian army forces and defectors.
Also on Saturday, a string of explosions struck a police truck transporting prisoners in a tense area of northwestern Syria, killing at least 14 people, state media and an opposition group said.