Syrian information ministry denounces massacre near capital

Syrian Information Ministry denounced a massacre that took place in a restive suburb of Damascus earlier Wednesday and killed at least 25 people, blaming armed terrorist groups and the support rendered to them by regional and international powers. "Armed terrorist groups" killed 25 people Wednesday in the battered suburb of Douma, the state media said, adding that the exact area where the carnage took place is a stronghold of the extremists "Islam Brigade." The ministry said the carnage has come to serve political agendas ahead of the meeting of the UN Security Council on Syria, adding that such style has become typical for the armed groups. The ministry reiterated accusation against some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and France, of funding and supporting the armed groups in Syria, saying that such role is an evidence of the international involvement in Syria. However, the activists' network Local Coordination Committees accused the government troops of being behind the carnage. Douma, a sprawling suburb of Damascus, has emerged as a scene of bitter fighting between the government troops and the armed rebels.