Syria: Troops have retaken control of the central Syrian city of Rastan

5 hours 40 min ago - Syria

Troops have retaken control of the central Syrian city of Rastan after sending in 250 tanks to quell clashes between the army and deserters, human rights activists said on Sunday.

"The Syrian army has taken complete control of Rastan, and 50 tanks left on Sunday," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said of the town in Homs province.

"Many houses have been destroyed there and the humanitarian situation is very bad," the Britain-based rights watchdog said.

"We have information that dozens of civilians were killed and buried in the gardens of houses as the army shelled the town," it added.

Officers who had deserted announced their "retreat from Rastan" in a statement on Friday night.

"Because of major reinforcements and the weapons used in Rastan by (President Bashar al-) Assad's gangs, we have decided to withdraw in order to better wage the struggle for liberty," the statement s