'Dozens killed' in Douma siege

A 10-day government assault on a suburb of the capital Damascus has left dozens dead, hundreds more injured, and caused a major new humanitarian crisis, a Syrian activist group said today.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report that the current campaign is the worst of several assaults on Douma, a hotbed of dissenht, since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March last year.

The Observatory said residents suffer from daily shelling as well as shortages of food, electricity and running water.

Troops loyal to Mr Assad are strong in central Damascus, but have battled to control the ring of suburbs and settlements in the surrounding countryside. The army launches frequent offensives into the suburbs only to see them slip back into rebel control.