AMMAN — Syria's main Western-backed opposition says 200 civilians are trapped in a mosque in a suburb of the Syrian capital as fighting rages outside between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad. The Syrian Coalition called on the United Nations in a statement on Sunday to send “a strong warning” to Assad that he “must immediately release” the civilians in the Damascus suburb of Qaboun. It did not say if the 200 had sought refuge in the mosque or were already there praying when fighting began. It warned that thousands of civilians in Qaboun could be “massacred” by Assad's army, as armored vehicles and elite forces move into the neighborhood. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes in Qaboun that began after midnight had caused casualties. Meanwhile, two French journalists kidnapped shortly after arriving in Syria in June are alive and Paris is working for their release, the defense minister said on Sunday. Didier Francois, 53, a seasoned reporter in troublespots with Europe 1 radio, and 22-year-old photographer Edouard Elias were taken hostage after being stopped at a checkpoint on the road to Aleppo. It was unclear who was holding them. “Every effort is being made to ensure that the conditions for their release can be met very quickly,” Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told journalists. “We know they are alive and we are stepping up our efforts,” he said. “In the interests of everyone, especially those two, I cannot say any more.” According to Reporters Without Borders, 24 journalists have been killed and 23 imprisoned since the outbreak of Syria's civil strife in March 2011. – Agencies
