Syrian troops storm restive town

Syrian troops firing machine guns mounted on tanks stormed a rebellious town in central Syria before dawn Tuesday as part of military operations aimed at crushing the six-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad, activists said.          

The offensive in Rastan, located just north of the central city of Homs and on the highway to Turkey, began overnight and continued through the morning, leaving at least 20 people wounded, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.           

Rastan has emerged as a hotbed of dissent against Assad's autocratic regime during six months of anti-government protests, and alleged army deserters have frequently clashed there with the military and security forces in the past.         

The Local Coordination Committees activist network, the Observatory, and other groups reported Tuesday's attacks in Rastan. They said the tanks and armored vehicles entered Rastan early Tuesday and dozens of troops have deployed on the town's streets.         

The United Nations estimates that more than 2,700 civilians have been killed in the government's crackdown on the uprising that began in mid-March, inspired by the Arab revolutions that have toppled autocratic rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.      

-AP