Syrian crackdown shows no respite

[Jefferson23]

First day of Muslim month of Ramadan marked by 24 killings across the country, drawing international condemnation.


Syrian troops have again advanced in the central city of Hama, taking up new positions a day after activists said government forces killed 24 people throughout the country on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

A London-based independent rights group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Tuesday that most of the 24 deaths were in Hama, which has been the target of a heavy military operation since Sunday.

At least six civilians were killed early on Tuesday in an assault on the eastern Damascus suburb of Erbin, residents told the Reuters news agency.

"Tens of people are wounded. Six are dead, of whom three have been identified," an activist in the suburb said.

About 1,700 civilians have been killed since the largely peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government began in mid-March, according to tallies by activists.

Authorities dispute the toll and blames a foreign conspiracy for the unrest, saying religious extremists are behind it.

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/08/20118294515124531.html