6/24/2011 11:00:00 AM
live news
7 killed as Syrian forces fire on protesters
ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and ZEINA KARAM
Security forces opened fire Friday as thousands of anti-government protesters took to Syria's streets in a weekly ritual of defiance and demands for President Bashar Assad's ouster, activists said. They said at least seven people, including a child, were killed in Damascus and elsewhere.
Four were killed in Barzeh, a Damascus district 5 kilometres from the city center, said Syria-based human rights activist Mustafa Osso. He said they were felled by security forces' guns. But Syrian state television said gunmen, otherwise unidentified, had opened fire on security personnel and civilians, killing three civilians and wounding several security force members.
Syria's president pledges reforms as protests continue The other fatalities occurred in al-Kasweh, a suburb of the capital, Damascus, and in the central city of Homs, said Omar Idilbi of the Local Coordination Committees, which track the Syrian protests. Protests in several other provinces also came under fire but it was not immediately clear whether there were casualties, Idilbi said.
The committees said a 12-year-old boy, Rateb al-Orabi, was killed when security forces fired on protesters in the Shammas neighborhood in Homs. The reports could not be independently verified.
“Our revolution is strong! Assad has lost legitimacy!” protesters chanted in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, according to video posted on YouTube.
The military crackdown has failed to silence a pro-democracy movement that has now lasted more than 100 days. The Syrian opposition says 1,400 people have been killed in the continuing government crackdown.
In northern Syria, activists said at least 15,000 people held a protest on the highway linking the country's two main cities, Damascus and Aleppo. Thousands marched in Amouda and Qamishli in the northeast and in other provinces, Mr. Osso said.
Dissidents reported a strong security presence in many locations. In Homs, all roads leading to the city center were reported blocked.
An eyewitness in Homs said protests took place in every city district Friday. He said hundreds of security personnel had been brought in by bus since early morning and encircled the city's center.
The witness said security forces fired smoke grenades in the Jouret al-Shiyeh district to disperse protesters. He said pro-government thugs converged on Homs neighborhoods from neighboring villages and were “provoking” protesters, who began blocking roads with rocks to keep them back. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
In the central city of Hama, activists said a massive protest took place in the city's main Assi square. Online footage showed huge numbers of people gathered, many waving Syrian flags and crying for the regime's downfall. A large purple banner was unfurled over a building, reading: “Long live free Syria, down with Bashar Assad.”
The video and other reports from inside Syria could not be independently verified, since the Damascus government has banned all but a few foreign journalists and restricted local media's reporting.
The Syrian regime blames foreign conspirators and thugs for the unrest, but the protesters deny any foreign influence in their movement, during which they say authorities also have detained 10,000 people.
The protests, which have occurred every Friday after weekly Muslim prayers, come as Syrian refugees stream across the border to safe havens in Turkey to escape a military sweep in Syria's northwest. More than 1,500 Syrian refugees crossed into neighboring Turkey on Thursday alone, boosting the number sheltered in Turkey to more than 11,700.More.
Four were killed in Barzeh, a Damascus district 5 kilometres from the city center, said Syria-based human rights activist Mustafa Osso. He said they were felled by security forces' guns. But Syrian state television said gunmen, otherwise unidentified, had opened fire on security personnel and civilians, killing three civilians and wounding several security force members.
Syria's president pledges reforms as protests continue The other fatalities occurred in al-Kasweh, a suburb of the capital, Damascus, and in the central city of Homs, said Omar Idilbi of the Local Coordination Committees, which track the Syrian protests. Protests in several other provinces also came under fire but it was not immediately clear whether there were casualties, Idilbi said.
The committees said a 12-year-old boy, Rateb al-Orabi, was killed when security forces fired on protesters in the Shammas neighborhood in Homs. The reports could not be independently verified.
“Our revolution is strong! Assad has lost legitimacy!” protesters chanted in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, according to video posted on YouTube.
The military crackdown has failed to silence a pro-democracy movement that has now lasted more than 100 days. The Syrian opposition says 1,400 people have been killed in the continuing government crackdown.
In northern Syria, activists said at least 15,000 people held a protest on the highway linking the country's two main cities, Damascus and Aleppo. Thousands marched in Amouda and Qamishli in the northeast and in other provinces, Mr. Osso said.
Dissidents reported a strong security presence in many locations. In Homs, all roads leading to the city center were reported blocked.
An eyewitness in Homs said protests took place in every city district Friday. He said hundreds of security personnel had been brought in by bus since early morning and encircled the city's center.
The witness said security forces fired smoke grenades in the Jouret al-Shiyeh district to disperse protesters. He said pro-government thugs converged on Homs neighborhoods from neighboring villages and were “provoking” protesters, who began blocking roads with rocks to keep them back. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
In the central city of Hama, activists said a massive protest took place in the city's main Assi square. Online footage showed huge numbers of people gathered, many waving Syrian flags and crying for the regime's downfall. A large purple banner was unfurled over a building, reading: “Long live free Syria, down with Bashar Assad.”
The video and other reports from inside Syria could not be independently verified, since the Damascus government has banned all but a few foreign journalists and restricted local media's reporting.
The Syrian regime blames foreign conspirators and thugs for the unrest, but the protesters deny any foreign influence in their movement, during which they say authorities also have detained 10,000 people.
The protests, which have occurred every Friday after weekly Muslim prayers, come as Syrian refugees stream across the border to safe havens in Turkey to escape a military sweep in Syria's northwest. More than 1,500 Syrian refugees crossed into neighboring Turkey on Thursday alone, boosting the number sheltered in Turkey to more than 11,700.More.
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