Syrian Forces Kill 11 Civilians as 7 Troops Die in Blast
The embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday pressed on with a deadly crackdown on dissent.
Activists reported that 11 civilians were killed by Syrian forces in the flashpoint provinces of Idlib and Homs, while in the southern Daraa province, cradle of eight months of anti-regime unrest, a blast killed seven security forces.
The latest violence came as the world's largest Islamic body, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held emergency talks at its Jeddah headquarters to find ways of ending the bloodshed.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who has repeatedly accused "armed terrorists" of fuelling the unrest, attended the meeting as OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu warned against foreign military intervention in Syria.
On Wednesday, security forces killed seven civilians in the northwestern Idlib province, including a 12-year-old boy and a woman, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Four other civilians were killed in separate incidents in the central city of Homs by gunfire.
And seven members of the security forces were killed in clashes with army deserters in the Daraa town of Dael, the Britain-based group said.
It quoted a witness as saying the clashes were triggered by the arrival in Dael of at least 30 armored personnel carriers, adding that two vehicles were destroyed in the fighting.
More than 164 people were also arrested in Dael where security forces carried out search operations, the group said, adding that 19 people were wounded by gunfire.
State television meanwhile reported that authorities released 912 people who were involved in anti-regime unrest but have "no blood on their hands, the third batch freed this month.
In Jeddah the OIC expressed frustration at the unending bloodshed and raised concerns about the international response to the crisis in Syria.
"We also refuse any military intervention and affirm our respect to Syria and its sovereignty ... and welcome international and Arab efforts" to reach a solution, the head of the pan-Islamic organization told the gathering.
"We have exhausted all our mechanisms and powers in our attempt to bridge the gap and end bloodshed" in Syria, OIC chief Ihsanoglu said, urging ministers to "reach practical recommendations that would help achieve a compromising solution."
According to a U.N. estimate released in early November, more than 3,500 people have been killed in the crackdown on dissent since mid-March.
Source: Agence France Presse
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