Syrian rights activists say government forces have killed six people and arrested more than 20 others since Wednesday in the latest crackdowns on opposition activists around the country.

Rights groups say security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in the eastern town of Deir el-Zour on Thursday, killing two and wounding another five.

Elsewhere, activists say Syrian troops raided pro-opposition villages in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of northern Syria's Idlib province on Wednesday, killing four people.

There was no independent confirmation of the casualties. Syria does not allow foreign media into flashpoint areas.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been trying to crush a four-month old opposition uprising against his 11-year autocratic rule. He also has made promises of political reforms, but opposition groups have dismissed the offers and demanded an end to the deadly crackdown on their movement.

Rights groups say Syrian security forces also used batons to break up a protest by Syrian artists and intellectuals in the capital, Damascus, late Wednesday. They say at least 20 protesters were detained.

The United States and European Union have condemned the suppression of the uprising and imposed sanctions on Mr. Assad and his government.

But, the Syrian president also has won diplomatic support from the Arab League, whose chief Nabil Elaraby criticized “foreign interference” in Arab affairs, after meeting with Mr. Assad on Wednesday.