Syrian official shot dead in Damascus
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A Syrian activist group says gunmen have shot and killed a government official in a Damascus restaurant. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Ali Ballan, head of public relations at the Ministry of Social Affairs and a member of Syria's relief agency was killed late Thursday.
The group, which relies on a network of activists in Syria, said the shooting occurred in the western neighborhood of Mazzeh. Damascus has witnessed a number of assassinations since the country's crisis began in March 2011. (AP)
