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    December 10, 2011

10 Killed in Syria's Anti-Government Unrest

   VOA News
   Mourners carry the body of a protester killed in the unrest in Syria
   (file photo)
   Photo: AP via Ugarit
   Mourners carry the body of a protester killed in the unrest in Syria
   (file photo)

   Activists say Syrian forces have opened fire on protesters who had
   gathered at a funeral for a child, killing at least four people.
   The activists say the unrest the northwestern Idlib province was among
   several deadly incidents on Saturday. They also say three civilians
   were killed in the central Homs region after gunfire erupted near a
   security checkpoint. Witnesses say Syrian forces had increased their
   presence in the flashpoint Homs region.
   Opposition activists say anti-government related unrest also left at
   least three people dead in other regions.
   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been facing mounting international
   pressure to end a crackdown on dissent that the United Nations says has
   claimed more than 4,000 lives.
   On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu urged Assad to
   punish the "murderers" and implement Arab League initiatives designed
   to end the unrest.
   Meanwhile, anti-government activists are calling for a nationwide
   strike, beginning Sunday, in an attempt to bring down the regime
   through civil disobedience.
   The opposition Local Coordination Committees are urging citizens to
   hold sit-ins, close facilities and to refuse to work in the public
   sector.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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