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At least 4 killed in Syrian anti-government protests

08 July 2011 21:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Gunmen killed at least four people, including an officer, on Friday as hundreds of anti-government protestors streamed into the streets across Syrian cities, the official SANA news agency reported, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

An armed group opened fire in the central province of Homs, killing an officer and two civilians, SANA said.

Another civilian was killed by sniper shot in the al-Midan neighborhood of the capital Damascus, it said, adding that many others were injured.

Armed men also cut off the highway connecting Damascus with Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria.

The Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV quoted activists as saying that at least 15 people were killed nationwide, as thousands of anti- government protestors streamed into the streets Friday after the noon prayers in cities across the country, including Homs, Hama, Daraa and Der al-Zour, calling for freedom and the downfall of the leadership.

In a related development, the state television said hundreds of pro-government demonstrators on Friday staged large demonstrations in some streets and squares in Damascus in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and in retaliation to the U.S. ambassador’s controversial visit to the troubled province of Hama.

The U.S. and French ambassadors to Syria have visited the city of Hama to follow up with the ongoing anti-government protests. Their visit has sparked severe condemnation by the Syrian authorities, which accused the ambassadors of inciting the protestors to carry on with their protests in that troubled area.

Syria has been in unrest since mid March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities. The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy" and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.

The Syrian government said 1,200 members of security forces and army personnel had died since the eruption of protests. According to activists, more than 1,400 civilians have died and some 10,000 have been detained.