Aid workers from the Red Cross on Friday returned to the Syrian capital after failing to gain access to the central province of Homs, the scene of heavy shelling by government forces, dpa quoted an opposition activist as saying. "We were informed that the Red Cross team has returned to Damascus," Omar Homsi told dpa. The Internatioanl Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said earlier this week it would assist civilians caught in the fighting between Syrian forces and opposition fighters in Homs. "The shelling has not stopped, but the revolutionaries have managed to open a small road near Deir Balaaba in Homs, which allowed some civilians to flee to safe areas overnight," Homsi said. Homs has been the target of shelling by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad for more than 10 days, according to activists. Activists said more than 40 civilians were killed in the heaviest military assault on Thursday.
