Six protesters killed in Syria's Homs - report
13:30 23/08/2011 MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - Six people were killed during demonstrations in the Syrian city of Homs, Al Arabiya TV reported on Tuesday.
Hundreds of demonstrators took the streets in downtown Homs, 160 km north of Damascus, when they learned that a UN humanitarian delegation had arrived, Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.
Police opened fire, killing six and injuring many more, he said.
Law enforcement authorities demanded that the UN mission leave the city because of security considerations.
The UN mission arrived on Saturday for a five-day visit.
Syria granted a UN team permission to visit some of the centers of the protests and crackdowns to assess humanitarian needs.
Syria has been rocked by mass protests demanding reforms and the resignation of Assad for almost six months. Pressure from international powers has mounted to end the crackdown.
About 2,200 civilians are thought to have been killed since protests began in the southern city of Deraa in mid-March. According to government data, over 500 servicemen and security officers were also killed.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
