Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Syrian Gov't Official Assassinated: Activists Syrian opposition activists reported Friday that a government official has been killed at a Damascus restaurant, the latest assassination in the country`s ongoing unrest. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights says gunmen stormed a restaurant in the upscale neighborhood of Mazzeh late Thursday and killed Ali Ballan, the head of public relations at Syria`s Ministry of Social Affairs. Syria has witnessed several recent assassinations. Last month, a suicide bombing at a Damascus mosque killed pro-government cleric Mohammed al-Buti. Extremists have been playing a bigger role among rebel groups recently in Syria as the two-year uprising drags on with no sign of ending. The Observatory also reported that fighting continued Friday between government and rebel forces south of the capital. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-govt-official-assassinated-act ivists/1644710.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-govt-official-assassinated-activists/1644710.html