UNREST

Syria Pummels Rebel Suburb

Detains 200 people.

Syrian troops stormed Douma, a suburb of Damascus, on Thursday, fighting with Army defectors and going from house to house to arrest people. The troops detained more than 200 people from the town, which is only 10 miles from the capital. Human-rights groups claim that 34 civilians were killed. One eyewitness said: “They are entering homes, searching cars and stopping people in the streets to check identity cards. There is very little movement in the streets, and nobody is allowed to leave or enter Douma.” The Telegraph reports that women and children are being pushed into the streets, while sniper posts are being set on roofs. Meanwhile, electricity has been cut in many homes, and machine guns were set up in the streets. Two days ago, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that the government would keep relying on a “security solution” to resolve the current crisis.