BICOM

Troops have clashed with rebels in the Syrian capital Damascus for a second day in what, according to activists, is some of the worst fighting since the country’s crisis began 16 months ago.

According to a Press Association report, the clashes briefly closed the motorway linking the capital with Damascus International Airport and the city’s south – an unprecedented development, according to Mustafa Osso, an activist based in Syria. “It seems there is a new strategy to bring the fighting into the centre of the capital,” Osso told reporters, referring to rebels who fight under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said fighting in Damascus is taking place roughly one mile from the airport highway. One Damascus resident, cited by the PA, said gunfire and sporadic explosions could be heard throughout the morning. The resident said that unlike previous clashes that occurred at night, the recent fighting took place during the day – a sign that the rebels are becoming more brazen.

In the past, there have been sporadic clashes in Damascus, although president Bashar Assad’s forces remain firmly in control of the capital. Many of the Damascus suburbs, however, have risen up against the regime, prompting a ferocious response from the military in an attempt to clear out rebel fighters from the towns that surround the capital. On Monday, activists reported government shelling in the Damascus suburb of Qatana.

In related developments, according to news wire reports, 33 soldiers crossed the border from Syria to Turkey overnight, including three colonels. Thousands of soldiers have abandoned the Syrian regime, but most have been low-level conscripts. The rebel Free Syrian Army — which is based in Turkey — is made up largely of defectors.

Activists say more than 14,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011, and the death toll mounts every day.