Eight Civilians, Army Deserter Killed in Syria

Security forces shot dead eight civilians and an army deserter in separate incidents in revolt-hit Syria on Monday, a rights group said.

Six people were shot dead in the protest hub city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Another civilian and an army deserter were killed in Hama province in a pursuit by security forces, the London-based group said in a statement.

An eighth civilian was shot dead in Harasta, a town near Damascus as security forces carried out raids and made at least 13 arrests, it added, a day after at least seven people were killed in violence in several cities.

Meanwhile, dozens of students demonstrated at the University of Qalamoun in the Damascus region demanding the fall of the Baath party regime.

"Bashar go away, there shall not be a dialogue," they chanted according to a video posted on You Tube website.

Almost 100 people were killed in Syria on Friday and Saturday, the two bloodiest days yet of the uprising, among them 30 Syrian security agents and dozens of civilians, according to the Observatory.

In Damascus meanwhile, a national committee began work Monday "to draft a new constitution for Syria," the official SANA news agency reported.

A new constitution was one of the key demands of the Syrian opposition at the start of the anti-government protests in March. Now they are demanding Assad's ouster.