Protesters Defy Syrian Forces, Six Killed

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  • W460
  • W460
  • W460
  • W460

Syrian security forces on Friday pressed a months-long crackdown on dissent, killing six more people with gunfire as protesters flooded streets in support of a rebel army, activists said.

The latest violence came as an Arab League 1100 GMT deadline for Syria to accept an observers' mission or face sanctions passed with no response from Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least six people were killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators at various flashpoints in the south, center and east of the country.

It said three people were killed, including a 19-year-old man, in central Homs province when security forces opened fire near a mosque, while a 16-year-old was shot dead in the southern Daraa province, cradle of eight months of dissent, the Observatory said.

Another man was killed in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour and a sixth near Damascus, according to the rights watchdog.

Internet activists had called for a day of massive protests nationwide in support of the rebel Syrian Free Army (SFA) which has stepped up attacks in a bid to topple the regime.

"The Free Army is the guardian of our peaceful revolution," anti-regime activists said on their Facebook site Syria Revolution 2011.

Like most Fridays since the start of the pro-democracy movement in mid-March, protesters emerged from midday prayers to face security forces who bolstered their deployment at key centers of dissent.

State television denied there a death in Deir al-Zour.

The official SANA news agency, meanwhile, reported that two experts were killed trying to defuse a bomb in the restive city of Hama, in central Syria, accusing "armed terrorist groups" of planting the device.

The state-run agency, quoting a police source, said three other bombs exploded in Hama.

And the military confirmed that six elite pilots and four others were killed in an attack on Thursday, accusing foreign powers of supporting acts of terror within Syria.

"An armed terrorist gang murdered six pilots, an officer and three junior officers working for the military airbase," the army said in a statement quoted by SANA.

The ambush "took place on the Palmyra-Homs road yesterday afternoon."

The attack was claimed on Thursday by the rebel Free Syrian Army who said seven military pilots were killed in an ambush on a bus.

According to the Observatory, huge protests took place across Idlib on Friday, mainly in Maaret Noman where demonstrators called for the "fall of the regime."

But SANA said massive counter-rallies were held in Damascus and Syria's second city Aleppo, with protesters denouncing Arab League decisions against Syria and vowing to confront "the conspiracy" facing their nation.

Comments 4
Default-user-icon John from Koura (Guest) 25 November 2011, 17:36

Look at this nonsense. If this group had 20,000 soldiers, you would had a civil war. It is more like 20. "sanctions"...Iraq had an embargo between 1991-2003. It only hurt the people and helped the lousy Saddam Hussein regime.

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 25 November 2011, 17:58

damascus regime WILL SIGN , and the league of what we call arabs, will begin giving new deadlines , and lose time.. that's the regime tactics to reach december when the yankees are due to leave irak and give it to iran.

Default-user-icon Dandy (Guest) 25 November 2011, 18:23

This is because the ASSad regime has fallen as Gabby (and his Dr. Falso) had predicted it will in three months about 5 months ago. Hey, ya m3alla2in bi 7ibal al hawa, rejoice!!!

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 25 November 2011, 19:20

europe ,the whole west says syria is not lybia... so , no fly zone problem......it seems they want a long civil war in syria.. they are fighting iran through syrian regime,,.. they are putting gangrena in the line from teheran baghdad syria lebanon..... the real game will start in december when the americans leave iraq...... SYRIA WILL BE HELL,THE WHOLE SYRIA WILL BE TELL EL ZAATAR.