Syrian Forces Kill Two in Raid on Homs

Two civilians were killed on Tuesday when Syrian security forces opened fire during a raid targeting anti-regime protesters in the central flashpoint city of Homs, rights activists said.

"Two civilians were killed in the Baba Amr neighborhood. Other residents were seriously hurt in Homs, where gunfire was heard from Monday night in many neighborhoods," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving further details.

The security forces closed the entrances to the city, where huge anti-regime protests were staged on Monday.

The demonstrations were dedicated to Zainab Homsi, whose mutilated body was handed to her family by the authorities two days ago, according to the activists.

Elsewhere, a policeman was shot dead by unknown attackers in the northwestern Jabal al-Zawiya region, where security forces have been conducting raids against dissidents, the Observatory said.

It also reported that according to residents, Kiswah near Damascus was cut off by the security forces on Tuesday.

On Monday, around 40 vehicles transporting troops entered Kiswah, located about 20 kilometers south of Damascus, the Observatory said.

According to U.N. estimates at least 2,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the crackdown on pro-democracy protests since March 15.