Syrian Forces 'Kill Seven During Protests'
4:50pm UK, Friday June 24, 2011
At least seven people died when Syrian security forces opened fire as thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets after Friday prayers, reports suggest.
In a weekly ritual of defiance amid demands for President Bashar Assad to be ousted, a number of protesters - including a young child - were reported to have been shot dead.
Four were killed in Barzeh, a Damascus district three miles from the city centre, said Syria-based human rights activist Mustafa Osso. He said they were killed 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.
Military trucks were reportedly seen in parts of the capital Damascus and in the central city of Homs.
JEREMY THOMPSON IN SYRIA'S CAPITAL DAMASCUS
The other fatalities occurred in al Kasweh, another suburb of the capital, and in the central city of Homs, according to Omar Idilbi of the Local Coordination Committees.
Protests in several other provinces also came under fire but it was not immediately clear whether there were casualties, Mr Idilbi said.
Meanwhile, America has warned that the crisis in Syria is in danger of escalating as pro-Assad troops were reportedly massing near the Turkish border where thousands of refugees have fled the violence.
Syrian soldiers at police outpost near mountains on Syrian side of Turkish border
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the reported move by Syria to surround and target the border town of Khirbat al Joz marks a worrying new phase of Syria's attempt to quash anti-regime protests.
"If true, that aggressive action will only exacerbate the already unstable refugee situation in Syria," Mrs Clinton said.
"Unless the Syrian forces immediately end their attacks and their provocations that are not only now affecting their own citizens but (raising) the potential of border clashes, then we're going to see an escalation of conflict in the area."
Aleppo residentArmoured personnel carriers are firing their machine guns randomly and people are fleeing the village in all directions.
The European Union (EU) said it had expanded its sanctions list, targeting seven more people and four companies.
It brings to 34 the number faced with an asset freeze and travel ban, including Syria's President Bashar al Assad.
The EU also has an embargo on the sales of arms and equipments that can be used to suppress demonstrations.
Most foreign journalists are banned from the country and local media is restricted.
ARAB SPRING: SAM KILEY IN TRIPOLI
Sky's Jeremy Thompson is one of the first foreign journalists allowed into the country since protests began.
He is operating under the supervision of the Syrian government.
He said: "There was a call from the opposition for a general strike and that has been going on for the last few days.
"They feel one of the great areas of vulnerability for President Assad's government is the economy.
"If they can do damage to the economy, it weakens his hold over the country and that may well weaken his support by some of the business elite."
Anti-government protests continue inside Syria
Mr Thompson said that despite the international concern about what is happening in Syria, there is no sign of intervention - in contrast to what has happened in Libya.
Sky's Sam Kiley is in Tripoli and said the reason for that is partly because Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi is a "friendless leader".
"Bashar al Assad is in a more strategically delicate area, bordering Lebanon and Israel,"he said. "It is a much more complicated situation.
"The issue in Libya is that the intervention was motivated to protect civilians but also to get a resolution to the chaos which was unfolding there."
Turkish Red Crescent truck drives past Syrian refugee camp at border zone with Syria
Hundreds of terrified refugees have crossed into Turkey in the last few days to escape an army crackdown, according to eyewitnesses.
A Turkish Red Crescent official said about 600 Syrians had crossed the border on Thursday morning.
Syrian troops stormed the village of Managh, nine miles south of the border and just north of the commercial hub of Aleppo, according to residents.
"I was contacted by relatives from Managh. Armoured personnel carriers are firing their machine guns randomly and people are fleeing the village in all directions," an Aleppo resident said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the border remains open and refugees continued to arrive.
In a speech on Monday, Mr Assad proposed political reforms in an effort to end the anti-government protests that started in March.
But pictures have emerged which appear to show government forces brutally suppressing opponents of the regime across the country.
Human rights groups say more than 1,300 civilians have been killed across Syria since mid-March.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discussed the situation in Syria and the refugee issue with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry later summoned Syria's ambassador for consultations, state-run Anatolian news agency reported.
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