Syria: Tanks shelling civilians for four days

Syrian government forces have for four days been using tanks to shell the town of Tel Kelakh in a bid to end protests aimed against President Bashar al-Assad. There have been conflicting reports about the number of casualties of the fighting. Syria: Tanks shelling civilians for four days Human rights lawyer Razan Zaitouna was quoted as saying by Reuters that the army and security forces killed at least 27 civilians, while the state news agency SANA quoted a military source which said eight soldiers had been killed on Tuesday in Tel Kelakh and in the southern Deraa province. Reuters also cited statements of local residents who said artillery and heavy machine-gun fire targeted the main road leading to Lebanon and the Abraj neighborhood inhabited by minority Turkmen and Kurds. Reports suggest that more than 850 people died since anti-government protests broke out several months ago, while some 8,000 have been arrested. Syria's authorities blame the violence on "armed terrorist gangs supported by Islamists and foreign agitators". Syrians flee the violence by illegally crossing the Lebanese border (Beta/AP)

Syria: Tanks shelling civilians for four days

Human rights lawyer Razan Zaitouna was quoted as saying by Reuters that the army and security forces killed at least 27 civilians, while the state news agency SANA quoted a military source which said eight soldiers had been killed on Tuesday in Tel Kelakh and in the southern Deraa province.

Reuters also cited statements of local residents who said artillery and heavy machine-gun fire targeted the main road leading to Lebanon and the Abraj neighborhood inhabited by minority Turkmen and Kurds.

Reports suggest that more than 850 people died since anti-government protests broke out several months ago, while some 8,000 have been arrested.

Syria's authorities blame the violence on "armed terrorist gangs supported by Islamists and foreign agitators".