Syrian forces kill five at protesters' funeral - Pakistan Daily Times

Syrian forces kill five at protesters funeral

BEIRUT: Syrian security forces killed at least five people after opening fire on a massive funeral procession for eight anti-government protesters slain the day before, a human rights activist said. A rights group has raised Fridays death toll to 44 most in the northern province of Idlib and the central region of Homs making it one of the deadliest days since an uprising against President Bashar Assads regime began two months ago. The government, meanwhile, put the toll at 17. The continuing bloodshed, which has claimed at least 900 lives, raises questions whether international sanctions and harsh words from the US and its allies will dissuade the Assad regime from using extreme force to crush the biggest challenge ever to its 40-year rule. Despite the violence, tens of thousands of people took part in the funeral for eight of those killed on Friday in Homs, local activists said. The funeral procession came under fire as the people marched from the Tal al Nasr cemetery, leaving two dead and dozens wounded. The latest deaths bring to at least 900 the number of civilians killed in the government crackdown, according to the National Organisation for Human Rights (NOHR) in Syria, whose chief Ammar Qurabi is currently in Turkey. ap

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