Dozens die in Syrian battle

Explosions heard in bordering Raqa; dead include rebels, troops

A ferocious dawn battle on Saturday on the outskirts of Raqa, a strategic Syrian city near Turkey, killed dozens of troops and rebel fighters despite a flurry of diplomacy aimed at halting the bloodshed.

“Fierce clashes pitting rebel fighters from several battalions against regular troops have raged since dawn on the outskirts of Raqa city,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Army troops shelled several city neighbourhoods, as well as the outskirts, while the clashes left dozens of troops and rebels dead,” the Britain-based group said without giving exact numbers.

“Explosions could be heard in the city, and towers of smoke could be seen rising into the sky. Observatory and activists in Raqa said the army was using helicopters to strafe rebels in some parts of the city, in a rare escalation of violence.

Raqa is located near Syria’s northern border with Turkey and Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said it has become home to 800,000 people who were forced to flee other war-torn parts of Syria. Dawn mortar attacks on Saturday on Raqa’s Masaken Shuhada area forced many people to flee, Abdel Rahman said.

“Because of the large number of civilians who have sought shelter in Raqa from other parts of Syria, the rebel Free Syrian Army had an agreement not to assault the city,” he said. “Saturday’s battle was a rare but intense escalation.” Fresh battles also rocked Daraya, a key rebel enclave southwest of Damascus which the army has fought to take back from insurgents.