Syria Forces Kill Two Protesters, Swoop On Border Town

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

AMMAN

(Reuters) - Syrian security forces shot dead two protesters and wounded scores more Friday, witnesses said, in a widening crackdown on unrest that has sent thousands of civilians fleeing into Turkey this week.

The Syrian army also swept in on the northwest border town of Jisr al-Shughour Friday to seize "armed" opponents, state television said, as protests erupted anew around the country despite Bashar al-Assad's increasing resort to armed repression.

Syria Forces Killed 70 Protesters Friday: Activists

By Mariam Karouny

BEIRUT

(Reuters) - Syrian forces killed at least 70 protesters Friday, activists said, one of the bloodiest days since the start of an 11-week revolt against the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Friday in defiance of security forces determined to crush the uprising, and some activists said the death toll could hit 100.

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least 60 people were killed in Hama, where Assad's father Hafez crushed an armed revolt 29 years ago by killing up to 30,000 people and razing parts of the city.