Rebels step up attacks in key towns

BEIRUT (AP):Syrian troops clashed with rebels in the city of Aleppo for a second day yesterday, in some of the fiercest fighting to date in a key bastion of support for President Bashar Assad.

The rebels are trying to seize the momentum after a week of battles in the capital, Damascus, including a bombing that struck at the heart of the regime, killing four high-level officials.

Two days of clashes in Aleppo's Salaheddine district brought sustained fighting to the city's centre for the first time since the uprising began in March 2011.

The city, a commercial hub and Syria's largest population centre, has remained largely loyal to Assad and been spared the kind of daily bloodshed that has plagued other cities.

But Aleppo-based activist Mohammad Saeed said dozens of fighters from the rag-tag Free Syrian Army entered Aleppo from the countryside and were fighting regime troops from inside.

"This night was very bad, there were huge explosions and the gunfire didn't stop for several hours," Saeed said via Skype. "The uprising has finally reached Aleppo."

Damascus and Aleppo are both home to elites who have benefited from close ties to Assad's regime as well as merchant classes and minority groups who worry their status will suffer if Assad falls.

But for months, rebels have been gaining strength in poorer towns and cities in the Aleppo countryside, gaining footholds near the Turkish border.

Activists and residents reported a tense calm in Damascus yesterday, although sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard.

Authorities have set up checkpoints at the entrances of Damascus in an effort to separate it from rebellious suburbs, and the resident said many grocery stores and vegetable vendors were unable to get supplies.

Rubbish is starting to pile up in many parts of the city.