Syrian forces kill at least 31 in Damascus raids

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian regime forces today shelled two Damascus districts before troops backed by tanks swept through to carry out house-to-house raids in search of opposition fighters, killing at least 31 suspected rebels, activists said.

The violence is part of a dramatic surge in fighting over the past month in Damascus, which is just one of many fronts President Bashar Assad's regime is struggling to contain as the 17-month-old rebellion against his rule gains strength.

Government forces are also engaged in a major battle for control of the northern city of Aleppo as well as smaller-scale operations in the country's south, east and center.

Around dawn today, regime forces in Damascus rained mortars down on the upscale Kafar Soussa neighborhood and the adjacent Nahr Eishah area of the Syrian capital, activists said. Government troops appeared to be shelling the districts from Qasioun mountain overlooking the capital, a Damascus resident said on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

The attacks may have been designed to kill or capture rebel mortar teams who have used the two neighborhoods in recent days to target the city's strategically located Mazzeh military airport, activists said.