Regime forces attack Syrian capital

Forces loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a new assault on rebels in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, July 22, even as clashes raged in the city of Aleppo. Assad’s younger brother Maher led the Fourth Brigade offensive in Barzeh, forcing residents to flee. “Regime forces are using helicopters to pound the Barzeh district…Families are trying to flee their homes, but it is difficult to get out of the neighborhood. It is surrounded, and violence on the edges is intense,” activist Abu Omar told Agence France-Presse. General Mustafa al-Sheikh, military council head of the rebel Free Syrian Army said, “The regime is collapsing, the speed at which it is falling has increased. That means it will use greater violence in order to try and save itself.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 19,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.

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Other details are available from the BBCNews.