Syria: Syrian troops capture town of Daraya from militants

Syrian troops capture town of Daraya from militants

Syrian soldiers celebrate after hammering rebels on the outskirts of Damascus. (file photo)

Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:2PM GMT

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LAST UPDATE

Syrian troops have captured most of the town of Darya outside the Syrian capital Damascus after it was taken by militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Damascus says the town could be fully captured in the next few days, after government troops seized much of the town on Saturday.

Earlier in the capital, two people were shot dead by militants' sniper fire near the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, one of whom was a three-year-old child.

Yarmouk refugee camp has borne the brunt of the turmoil in Syria over the past months. In September 2012, 20 people were killed in a mortar attack by militants on the camp.

Syria has been the scene of turmoil for nearly two years. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed.

The Syrian government says the chaos that began in the country in March 2011 is being orchestrated from outside. There are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals.