DAMASCUS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Activists said the Syrian troops' war jets raided a rebel stronghold in the capital Damascus on Monday, as pro-government media claimed the armed rebels have been committing massacres in a northern town near the Turkish borders since 11 days ago.
The air strikes reportedly took place over the Basatin Barzeh area in Damascus, according to activists, whose reports, however, could not be checked independently.
Meanwhile, the pro-government Sham FM radio said the armed rebels have fired mortars and RPGs on the town of Harem in the northwestern province of Idlib, adding that 26 people have so far been killed.
The report said the armed militants have crossed over from neighboring Turkey and have been equipped with rocket launchers. It added that the dead bodies are still left on streets amid an outage of electricity, water and communications.
Citing one witness in the town, Sham FM said most of Harem's residents have sought refuge in one safe district that has not yet been attacked by the armed rebels, adding that the people are carrying on with their resistance.
A source in the town told Sham FM that the rebels have been committing massacres in the town since 11 days ago.
The report, however, spelled no details about the army's position regarding what has been going on in Harem, amid reports that military enforcement has headed toward the restive town located on the borders with Turkey, which has emerged as a main proxy and conduit for the armed groups' infiltration into Syria.
A booby-trapped car went off Sunday night near Tishreen military hospital in Damascus, causing only material damage, according to Sham FM.
The incessant violence across Syria have practically unraveled a UN-backed cease-fire deal, with government forces and armed groups blaming each other for the incessant fighting, now in its 19th month.
The cease-fire has been put forward by the UN-Arab League special representative, Lakhdar Brahimi, who pushed the conflicting parties in Syria to observe a truce during the four- day Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.
Brahimi's truce, which supposedly went into effect on Friday, has been strained by consistent fighting between rebels and government forces.
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