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The GuardianBodies lying on the streets of Deraa as residents come under artillery and sniper fire, according to witnessesBarry Neild and agencies, Tuesday April 26 2011 12.48 BST
Fresh gunfire was reported in the Syrian city of Deraa, which has been at the centre of three weeks of unrest, as the government pushed on with a crackdown against pro-democracy protesters, despite growing international condemnation.
Bodies were left lying on the streets of Deraa on Tuesday as residents sought shelter from artillery and sniper fire, witnesses said, a day after tanks rolled into the city, marking a dramatic escalation in efforts to crush the uprising.
A resident told the Associated Press that families had been unable to recover the bodies of protesters killed by gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
"We are being subjected to a massacre," the man screamed over the telephone as cracks of gunfire reverberated in the background. "Children are being killed. We have been without electricity for three days, we have no water."
Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/26/syrian-attacks-on-protesters-escalate
Libya, Syria and Middle East unrest - live coverage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/26/libya-middle-east-syria-gaddafi-misrataSyria Live Blog - April 26: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-april-26Syria intensifies crackdown on protestsAt least 500 pro-democracy activists arrested, rights group says, after authorities deployed troops to quell protests.Last Modified: Apr 26 2011 11:03
Syrian security forces have arrested at least 500 pro-democracy activists, a rights group said, as the government continues a violent crackdown on anti-government protests across the country.
The arrests followed the deployment of Syrian troops backed by tanks and heavy armour on the streets of two southern towns, the Syrian rights organisation Sawasiah said on Tuesday.
The group said it had received reports that at least 20 people were killed in the city of Deraa in the aftermath of the raid by troops loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Monday. But communications have been cut in the city, making it difficult to confirm the information.
"Witnesses managed to tell us that at least 20 civilians have been killed in Deraa, but we do not have their names and we cannot verify," a Sawasiah official told the Reuters news agency.
More details and video report:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114265855623958.htmlRelated OP posted by Hissyspit yesterday...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4826301">Hundreds of Syrian Troops Backed by Armoured Vehicles Move Into Deraa, Heavy Shooting Reported