Syria denies rebels' control over central prison of Aleppo city

DAMASCUS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian military source denied media reports that the rebels had stormed the central prison of the northern city of Aleppo, saying that the rebels only shelled the prison with mortars that led to the killing of a number of prisoners.

The source, whose remarks were carried by the state-TV on Thursday, said the "terrorists" couldn't storm the prison, adding that many of the prisoners were also injured during the rebels' mortar attack.

The Western-backed rebels have been trying over the past month to storm the prison in what appeared to be a bid to free some of their comrades.

Meanwhile, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that seven people were killed in the Masaken Hanano area in Aleppo on Thursday due to the bombardment on the neighborhood.

The Britain-based Observatory also reported violence in several areas of Aleppo and elsewhere in the unrest-torn country.

The 26-month-old crisis in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 70,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands internally and to neighboring countries, according to a recent UN tally.

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