Thirteen killed in day of protests in Syria

A call for general strike to increase pressure on the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad was quite attended yesterday in a part of Syria, especially in Homs, one of the cradles of the revolt.

Shops remained closed and streets deserted in several regions in response to a call of the opposition, which seeks to launch a major campaign of civil disobedience, in moments in which outbreaks of violence, which left the Friday and Saturday killing 55 people, killed at least 13 civilians Sunday in all the country.

According to the Syrian Observatory of human rights (OSDH) Government forces killed four civilians in Kfar Takharim, in the province of Idleb (North-West).

A teenager of 16 also lost his life because of fire safety in Tafas, in the province of Deraa (South) and another civilian perished in this same province shortly after his arrest by the forces of u000aSecurity.

Five civilians, including two children, died in Homs (Center), city surrounded by numerous tanks and thousands of soldiers, according to activists who said fear a "massacre" imminent.

In Duma, close to Damascus, two civilians, including a 30-year-old girl and a woman from 42, perished under the bullets of emboscados, according to handles the OSDH.

The strike was "widely followed" in the province of Deraa, as well as most of the region of Jabal Zauia, on the border with Turkey, according to OSDH, mentioned as a source to militants in the area.

At locations close to Damascus, notably Harasta, security forces attempted to open by the force closed shops and made several arrests. In Duma the strike had almost 90% of accession, according to the OSDH.

"Strike had a membership of 100% in the quarters opposed to the regime" in Homs, the bastion of the protests in the center of the country, u000awhere the streets on Sunday remained deserted, according to the OSDH.

In Damascus, on the other hand, the situation was normal. Sunday is a working day in Syria, where rest days are Friday and Saturday.

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