Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Activists: Syrian Crackdown Kills 14 Civilians

VOA News May 30, 2011

Syrian rights activists say a military crackdown on opposition protesters in central Syria has killed at least 14 civilians since Sunday.

The activists say Syrian security forces backed by tanks killed three civilians Monday in the town of Talbiseh. Residents also found the bodies of two people thought to have been killed by Syrian troops in Homs, Syria's third-largest city.

Rights groups say another nine people were killed Sunday as Syrian tanks fired on the towns of Talbiseh, Rastan and other central communities where residents have staged anti-government protests in recent days.

Syrian state media say "terrorists" operating in Talbiseh killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded 14 on Sunday. Syria's government frequently blames a two-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad on terrorists, Islamists and foreign agitators. It says at least 140 Syrian security personnel have been killed in the unrest.

Syrian opposition activists have been protesting almost daily since March for democratic reforms and an end to Mr. Assad's 11-year autocratic rule. Rights groups say Mr. Assad's security forces have killed more than 1,000 people in a campaign to crush the uprising.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says the repression of opposition movements in Syria and Libya is "shocking" for its "brutality and magnitude." Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been trying to suppress an opposition revolt against his 42-year rule since February.

Pillay renewed a call on Syria to allow a fact-finding mission to visit the country. She was speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.