Syrian troops storm Damascus suburb
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops stormed a flashpoint suburb of Damascus on Thursday, rounding people up in house-to-house raids, while tens of thousands of backers of President Bashar Assad poured into the streets of several cities in a show of support for his embattled regime.
Just days after pulling out of the suburb of Douma following intense clashes with anti-regime fighters, government troops pushed back in early Thursday from all directions, meeting no resistance, activists said.
"They are entering homes, searching cars and stopping people in the streets to check identity cards," activist and Douma resident Mohammed al-Saeed told The Associated Press, saying the soldiers had lists of wanted people. "There is very little movement in the streets and nobody is allowed to leave or enter Douma."
The suburb has become a tension point in recent months, with large protests against Assad that security forces crushed by force. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 200 people were detained Thursday in Douma.
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