Pro-Government Gunmen Fire on Syrian Villages
VOA News April 12, 2011
Pro-government gunmen in Syria are firing shots in at least one village near the coastal city of Banias, the site of recent deadly anti-government protests.
Witnesses say the gunmen launched an attack in the northwestern village of Baida, on Tuesday. The Associated Press quotes an opposition leader who says pro-government forces have also entered the nearby village of Beit Jnad.
On Sunday, security forces and pro-government gunmen killed four protesters and wounded dozens in Banias, after the army sealed off large sections of the city.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says Syrian security forces prevented wounded protesters from receiving medical treatment following anti-government demonstrations last week.
The U.S.-based rights group said Tuesday that Syrian authorities did not allow ambulances to pick up protesters wounded in the towns of Daraa and Harasta.
At least 26 protesters were killed in Daraa when plain clothes security forces opened fire on demonstrators in and around the city on Friday.
Syrian authorities blamed armed groups for the violence.
Anti-government protests erupted in Syria more than three weeks ago and have been spreading.
Demonstrators are calling for sweeping political reforms, particularly an end to the country's decades-old emergency law that gives the government a free hand to stamp out public protests, ban opposition and justify arbitrary arrests.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
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