11.   Government forces launched a counterattack against the guerillas.

12.   Government forces neutralized the rebels.

13.   Government forces now control the city.

14.   Government forces took control of the town after the rebel forces were defeated.

15.   Government forces used the situation as an excuse to perpetrate excesses against suspected rebels.

16.   In September, government forces moved into Latakia, a port city where Rifaat exerts power, to confiscate a fortified compound.

17.   Instead, they are used to secure territory captured by government forces.

18.   Often they were targeted simply because they lived in zones of armed conflict between government forces and opposition groups.

19.   The camps have been attacked several times by government forces.