Syrian Forces Kill 29 in Homs, Including 3 Children
Three children and their father were among at least 30 civilians killed on Sunday as Syrian security forces pressed on with an almost nine-month clampdown on dissent, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In the flashpoint city of Homs, "a man and three children aged 11, 14 and 16 were killed at dawn in the al-Waer district when the Shabiha (pro-regime militia) opened fire on their cars," said the Observatory.
Twenty-nine of those killed Sunday died in the flashpoint central province of Homs which has been at the forefront of the regime's crackdown on dissidents, the Britain-based watchdog said.
"The number of martyrs in the province of Homs today rose to 29 people killed by the army, security forces and the shabiha," the Observatory said, adding that Homs has been "besieged" by Syrian forces for more than two months.
The rights watchdog, in statements received by Agence France Presse, also said "a chauffeur was killed when his mini-bus came under gunfire from a checkpoint north of Maarat Numan" in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Twenty-three people were killed in Syria on Saturday, including 11 civilians, the Observatory said, a day after the U.N. Human Rights Council condemned the Damascus regime's "gross violations" of human rights.
Seven pro-regime soldiers and security service agents were among those killed, as well as five rebel troops.
The Arab League, which has slapped unprecedented sanctions on member state Syria, was on Sunday awaiting its response to a deadline to allow in observers to monitor the country's unrest.
According to the United Nations, more than 4,000 people have been killed since anti-regime protests broke out in mid-March and tens of thousands arrested. At least 12,400 people are also reported to have fled abroad.
Source: Agence France Presse
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