Syria forces retake rebel area in Homs

Government forces have seized control of an area of the central city of Homs which is a symbol of opposition to President Bashar Assad’s regime, Syrian activists said today.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces pushed rebels out of Baba Amr after two weeks of clashes, shelling and air strikes which destroyed many homes.

The Syrian state news agency said yesterday that government forces had “restored security and stability” to the neighbourhood.

Baba Amr, a poor district in south-west Homs, emerged early in the uprising as a symbol of the rebel movement, first for its protests and later for the armed groups who held it against regime troops.

It changed hands a number of times since, with rebels saying earlier this month that they had taken it back.