Syria unrest: Maps and videos of Homs fighting

The continued crackdown by Syrian security forces on anti-government protesters and armed rebel groups has seen the central city of Homs come under intense bombardment in the past week and troops on the move in other parts of the country.

Opposition and human rights activists say more than 400 people have been killed in Homs since rockets and mortars began hitting homes in the city's opposition-dominated districts on 4 February. Tanks and troops are now said to be massed on the outskirts, poised to launch a ground assault on protest centres such as Baba Amr.
Homs has been a focus of anti-government unrest since demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011. Activists say more than 7,000 people have been killed by security forces across the country. The government says at least 2,000 security forces personnel have died combating "armed criminal gangs and terrorists".