Report: 15 die in Damascus attack

on 03/08/2012 08:33:01

A total of 15 people have been killed after mortars struck a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus, activists have claimed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, said on Friday that the Yarmouk camp was hit on Thursday evening.

There were no reports on who had fired the mortars. The attack came amid government operations in the southern outskirts of the city as regime forces hunt down supporters of the rebellion.

The nearby neighbourhood of Tadamon was also shelled on Thursday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Palestinian refugees in Syria have tried to stay out of the 17-month old uprising but their camp is nestled in an area known for its support for the rebels.

There are nearly 150,000 refugees living in the narrow streets of Yarmouk.