Armed groups attack oil pipeline near volatile Syria's Homs

Armed groups attacked an oil pipeline before dawn Thursday at Tal al-Shur area west of the central city of Homs, one of Syria's most volatile areas, according to the state-run SANA news agency. The attack left material losses but no casualties were reported. Eye witnesses told Xinhua that black clouds of smoke were seen in the area. However, the Doha-based al-Jazeera TV cited activists as countering the government's accusation, saying that security forces are the ones who blasted the oil pipeline. Several attacks have been carried out against gas and oil pipelines in different areas across Syria over the past eight months of protests.