BEIRUT: Heavy government shelling of rebel positions near the Syrian capital killed 16 people on Saturday, activists said, as US Secretary of State John Kerry lobbied European allies to back Washington’s proposed military action against the ruling regime.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the mortar and artillery fire on the Moldokhiya agricultural area south of Damascus killed 14 rebels. A child and another civilian also died in the shelling, it added.
The group also reported heavy fighting between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad around the Christian village of Maaloula.
The rebel advance into the area that began on Monday was reportedly spearheaded by Al-Qaeda-linked fighters, exacerbating fears among Syrians and religious minorities in particular that extremists are playing an increasingly important role in the rebellion.
Fighters from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army have also participated in battles around Maaloula, destroying two government checkpoints near the town earlier this week, according to a statement by the main opposition coalition on Friday. Syrian officials have been trying to capitalize on reluctance to a strike in Europe and the US, and both the government and state media accuse Obama of “supporting terrorism.”
“Any US aggression against Syria has no explanation other than (that it’s) supporting terrorism,” Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in an interview with state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast late Friday.
Syrian regime shelling kills 16
