12 Killed in Syria Violence, Opposition Stages General Strike

Posted November 10th, 2011 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
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A Syrian rights group says at least 12 people were killed Thursday in the government's ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests as opposition groups called for a nationwide general strike.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says security forces killed one civilian in the northwestern province of Idlib and several others, including an 8-year old girl, in the central city of Homs.

The group says six government soldiers were killed in attacks by suspected army defectors in other parts of the country. It says four of the soldiers were killed in an ambush on their checkpoint in Idlib province.

Syrian rights activists uploaded videos to YouTube appearing to show many shops and stores closed on Thursday in several towns and cities, including major centers in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama and Daraa. Opposition groups had called for a general strike in solidarity with Homs, where they say security forces have killed dozens of people in recent days in an operation to crush dissent.

The latest casualties and strike action could not be independently verified because Syria bars most foreign journalists from operating in the country.

Rights groups accuse Syrian security forces of killing more than 110 people since the government agreed last week to an Arab League plan that calls for an end to violence.

Under the agreement, Damascus promised to withdraw its security forces from the streets and begin talks with the opposition. The Arab League will meet on Saturday to discuss a response to what it sees as Syria's failure to honor those pledges.

On Wednesday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman urged the league to take a tougher stance against Damascus as part of a global effort to force Mr. Assad from power.

Earlier this week, the U.N. human rights office said at least 3,500 people have been killed in the country since the anti-government uprising began in March. U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Wednesday Syria faces a serious risk of descending into an armed struggle similar to the one Libya experienced this year.