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Death toll of Syria''s Tues. violence jumps to 55 people

KUWAIT, July 31 (KUNA) -- The death toll of Syria's Tuesday violence rose to 55 people, including three children and a woman, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said.
In its tally update, the LCC said the majority of victims fell in government forces' heavy bombardment of the cities of Homs and Idlib.
It pointed out that the government forces' bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters continued across the country.
The offensive in the cities Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, Hama, Deraa, Damascus, Deir Al-Zour and Latakia left scores dead and scores others injured, the LCC said.
Clashes between the government forces and the opposition Free Syrian army continued Tuesday in several areas across the nation.
Death toll at the violence-wrecked Syria is estimated to have surpassed 16, 500 so far, with the country on the verge of a full-blown civil war, as thousands of citizens flee the country to the neighboring Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a group of exiled Syrian anti-regime activists launched in Cairo the Syrian Revolution Board of Trustees.
The new alliance, comprises 70 non-partisan opposition figures, elected a former judge and long-standing opposition activist Haitham Al-Maleh as a leader.
In a press statement, Board Chairman Al-Maleh said the entity will start formation of an interim government to run the state affairs following the ouster of embattled President Bashar Al-Assad. (pickup previous) om.ibi KUNA 312338 Jul 12NNNN