What the world overlooked in Syria

Ever since the United States announced it would act against Syria in response to a chemical weapon attack more than three weeks ago, the world has been fixated on when and how Washington and its allies will act.

The debate on whether the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against the opposition in the suburbs of Damascus is ongoing. Statements by top Western leaders on Syria come out almost daily. U.S. politicians continue to wrangle over whether Washington should strike President Bashar al-Assad’s military installations. And pro-intervention Syrian activists have stepped up their campaign to convince members of congress to vote "yes” for military strikes in their country.

But since the August 21 attack, which is reported to have killed between as many as 1,400 people, the country has witnessed a steady flow of bloodletting. Between Aug. 22 and Sept. 9, at least 1,529 people were killed, according to the Local Coordination Committees activist network. New "massacres" have been reported, new advances by Assad's troops have been recorded and takeovers of villages by rebel forces have been claimed.

Here are some of the major stories that took place across Syria in the past three weeks but were overshadowed by the chemical attack saga:

Bodies discovered in Aleppo's wells

Seven bodies were discovered rotting in a well located in the town of Junaid in the suburbs of Aleppo.

The corpses were found a few weeks after residents in the nearby village of Om Amoud recovered dozens of bodies from six wells there.

Residents accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of killing both townsfolk and passers-by and throwing their bodies into wells, during 10 days of intense battles with rebel forces.

Al Jazeera's Naser Shadid, who was in Om Amoud as volunteers recovered the bodies, said the process was very difficult due to the strong smell and the lack of proper equipment.

Syrian army take over strategic town

Syrian forces seized the strategic northern town of Ariha, a move that opened supply lines between the coastal stronghold of Latakia and pockets of army control in Idlib province, which is largely rebel controlled.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported the Assad military gain, said regime forces stormed and captured Ariha while a fierce artillery assault raged.

Dozens of people were reported killed in clashes ahead of the military takeover.

Activists say civilian residents have mostly fled Ariha in recent weeks, after heavy air and artillery strikes. According to the Observatory, Assad forces began raiding and looting the town after storming it.

Ariha has been in and out of rebel control. It was taken by rebel brigades, including the Ahrar al-Sham group and other units linked to al-Qaeda, on August 24.

Rebels capture ancient Christian village

A Syrian rebel group led by al-Qaeda-linked fighters have said they seized control of Maaloula, a predominantly Christian village northeast of Damascus.

The fighters swept into the mountainside sanctuary in heavy fighting which forced hundreds of residents to flee.

State media, meanwhile, provided a dramatically different account of the battle -- suggesting regime forces were winning.

Maaloula, an ancient village that is home to two of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria, was a major tourist attraction before the civil war.

Some of its residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the language of biblical times believed to have been used by Jesus.

Regime troops shell near Syria's largest dam

Syrian fighter jets struck near the Tabqa Dam in the rebel-controlled north-eastern Raqqa province. The dam, on the Euphrates River, is the largest in the country and one of the most important sources of electricity.

"One of the shells hit the fence of the dam, only 15 meters (49 feet) away from the floodgates," an activist in Raqqa said in a video while touring the area. "Had the gates been hit, all of the surrounding villages would have been flooded."

The opposition Syrian National Coalition says the attack on the dam was "a dangerous precedent" that "poses a significant threat to millions of Syrians across the country, and in particular those residing in the eastern provinces."

The Tabqa Dam, which was captured by rebels last February, provides electricity both to areas in rebel and loyalist hands.

It was built more than 40 years ago with Russian help.

"Ironically, Russian-made shells hit the Russian-made dam," the Raqqa activist said.