Activists: Damascus clashes kill 12 Syrian troops

   
Activists said that heavy clashes between Syrian troops and al-Qaeda-linked fighters in northern Damascus have killed at least 12 soldiers and pro-government militiamen.                  


The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that the 12 died the day before in the city's Barzeh district.                    

Clashes in Barzeh flared up on Monday when the army launched a push to dislodge the rebels, including al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra fighters, from the district.

The Observatory says the opposition has been trying to capture the area for months in an attempt to take the battle for the capital closer to President Bashar Assad's seat of power. 

On another note, a family of four Syrian refugees arrived in Austria, the first of 500 that the country has offered to take.                            

Interior Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said the family arrived Tuesday evening. He said plans are to bring the rest of the contingent to Austria "as quickly as possible," but cannot give a precise date for when the last refugee will enter the country.                 

The four are Christians. Charity organizations have criticized the government's selection method, saying Christians were given preference. Grundboeck said that members of groups most at threat were chosen children and minorities, including religious minorities.     

International positions:

Russian President Vladimir Putin told an investment conference on Wednesday that global powers are "on the right track" with a plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. 

Putin, whose country reached a deal with the United States last month to rid Syria of its chemical weapons, said cooperation on resolving the conflict would help avert military intervention in the Middle East nation.


REUTERS/AP