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Activists: At Least 20 Killed As Syrian Forces Storm Hama

December 14, 2011

Activists say at least 20 civilians have been killed by security forces across Syria, 11 of them in the flashpoint region of Hama.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement that troops backed by tanks stormed the city of Hama after a three-day general strike.

It was the first armored incursion into Hama since a tank offensive in August ended large protests in the city center.

Opposition fighters tried to stop the advancing forces at a bridge in the city, and two armored vehicles were reported destroyed.

The UN says at least 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the nine-month pro-democracy uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

compiled from agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/20_killed_as_syrian_forces_storm_hama/24422166.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.