Syrian troops widen shelling attacks

Syrian troops widened their shelling attacks on opposition targets today in another sign that the UN-brokered ceasefire is unravelling, activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said tanks shelled the southern town of Busra al-Harir today, killing two people.

The group also said shelling resumed in the central city of Homs, where the Khaldiyeh district was targeted.

Homs has been under continuous attack with only a brief respite last Thursday - the day the ceasefire formally took effect.

The truce is part of a plan by United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan to end the Syrian government's crackdown on a 13-month uprising and launch talks on the country's political future.

Escalating violations have dimmed already low expectations that the truce would hold.

AP