AMMAN, Feb 10: A firefight broke out on Friday in a poor district of Damascus between loyalist forces and rebels battling against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, a witness and activists said, the nearest fighting to the centre of the capital in an 11-month uprising.

Members of the Free Syrian Army fought for four hours with troops backed by armoured vehicles who had entered al-Qaboun neighbourhood in the north of the capital during a protest one mile from the main Abbaside Square, they said.

The rebels said they had sustained several casualties but it was not known if any had died of their wounds.

"There was a demonstration in Qaboun this afternoon and the army raided the neighbourhood to make arrests," said a resident of Qaboun who gave his name as Fadi.

"But the Obaida bin Jarrah Brigade intercepted it and the two sides exchanged fire. The army used heavy machineguns and anti-aircraft guns and the rebels mostly responded with automatic rifles," he said.

The sound of people shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) echoed from buildings in Qaboun as gunfire rang out during the firefight, Fadi said.