11 killed in Daraa clashesDAMASCUS: Tens of thousands of Syrians poured into the streets for a “day of rage” after Friday prayers, defying warnings by President Bashar Al-Assad's regime of a harsh crackdown on demonstrations, with at least 11 people reported killed in clashes during anti-regime protests in the Syrian city of Daraa — four soldiers shot by “terrorists” and seven civilians killed by security forces. By mid-afternoon, protests were taking place in most major centers around the country, witnesses said, in a repeat of pro-democracy rallies that have become the norm after weekly prayers. Dissidents say security forces using live rounds and tear gas have killed more than 450 people since mid-March. Friday's protests come as the UN Human Rights Council held a special session on Syria in Geneva and the European Union met in Brussels to consider a wide range of sanctions against Damascus. Information Minister Adnan Mahmud said the crackdown would continue, saying the “authorities are determined to restore security, stability and peace to the citizens”. The interior ministry appealed to Syrians not to join the protests and warned they would not be tolerated. “In the current circumstances, the interior ministry calls on brother citizens to contribute in an effective way to stability and security... by not staging demonstrations or sit-ins for any reason without official permission,” said a statement reported by the state news agency SANA. “The laws in force in Syria will be applied to preserve the security of citizens and the country's stability,” the statement added. Similar protests after prayers last week ended in chaos, with more than 100 people killed when security forces fired on demonstrators with tear gas and live rounds. Hundreds of people were detained. In Banias, about 10,000 people turned out on Friday, shouting “liberty, solidarity with Daraa” and “down with the regime.” In Deir Ez-Zor, northeast of the capital, two demonstrators were beaten with batons and electrical cables after about 1,000 people emerged from a mosque and were dispersed by security forces, rights activist Nawwaf Al-Bashir said. In Al-Raqqa, also northeast of Damascus, 300-400 people in the streets cried “All powerful God, cause the siege of Daraa to be lifted,” activist Abdullah al-Khalil said. Some 15,000 people turned out in the Kurdish city of Qamishli and neighboring towns, shouting “national unity” and “with our soul and with our blood we will sacrifice ourselves for Daraa,” activists said. There were also demonstrations in Saqba and Midan, near the capital, and in the industrial city of Homs, where thousands of people could be seen shouting “down with the regime” on videos fed live to the Internet. Meanwhile, a US draft resolution calls on the UN Human Rights Council to agree to “urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry... to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law” in Syria. Advocacy group Human Rights Watch called on the council to investigate the deadly crackdown on Syrian protesters and to “strongly condemn repression of peaceful protests.”
