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Syrian troops capture key district in Homs

DAMASCUS — Syria’s beleaguered opposition forces suffered another blow Monday when government troops captured a key district in the embattled city of Homs that has been a rebel stronghold since the beginning of the country’s uprising.

The capture of Khaldiyeh is a setback for the rebels in the strategic central heartland, bringing President Bashar Assad’s regime closer to its goal of capturing all of Homs, Syria’s third-largest city — including neighborhoods in its Old City that the rebels have held for more than a year.

The opposition acknowledged the loss of Khaldiyeh, though some activists said there were still scattered clashes in northern sectors of the district.

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A senior member of the Western-backed Syria National Coalition said the regime’s gains in Homs are not irreversible.

‘‘It will be difficult, but not impossible to gain back what we’ve lost in Homs,’’ Hadi Bahra, a member of the coalition’s political committee, said from Saudi Arabia.

Syrian TV aired live video from the neighborhood, showing troops roaming deserted streets and waving flags in front of shell-scarred buildings.

State news agency SANA quoted an unnamed army commander saying the fall of Khaldiyeh would significantly boost army operations aimed at dislodging rebels from central areas of Homs.

Associated Press