Syrian troops attack refugees near Turkish border

Syrian troops shelled rebel outposts in the north and refugee areas near the border with Turkey, opposition activists said Wednesday, as the fractured ceasefire neared the one-week mark. "Syrian army tanks shelled outposts belonging to the (rebel) Syrian Free Army in the northern province of Idlib, killing at least two defectors," Firas Idlibi, an anti-government activist in the area, told dpa. Security forces stormed the neighbourhood of Khalidiyeh in the central province of Homs, wounding at least 22 people, according to the opposition. Activists on the outskirts of the capital Damascus told dpa that security forces fired at protesters who were calling for the release of detainees. There were no immediate reports of casualties.