Syrian troops retreating

After intense clashes with anti-government army defectors Syrian security forces have retreated from the streets of one of biggest suburbs of the capital. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' head Rami Abdul-Rahman says that as of early Sunday, government troops had pulled back to a provincial headquarters and a security agency building in the Damascus suburb of Douma. Central Damascus has for most of Syria's 10-month uprising been under the tight control of forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, but its suburbs have witnessed intense anti-regime protests. Douma, about 20 kilometers northeast of Damascus, is an important strategic point for the Assad regime, mainly because of its proximity to Adra, where there is a Scud missile base. In May 2010, the Times of London reported that satellite imagery showed Hezbollah fighters training in the operation of surface-to-surface missiles at a large base near Adra. The photos showed barracks, a large arsenal and a fleet of trucks used to move missiles to Lebanon.