30 Reported Killed As Syrian Bloodshed Continues

A video grab shows hundreds of antiregime protesters demonstrating in the northwestern city of Idlib on August 19.

Opposition activists in Syria say security forces have killed 30 or more people as the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has continued its crackdown against protesters in the face of international condemnation.

Reports quote activists as saying the killings on August 19 occurred in the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising against the regime started in March, the city of Homs, and elsewhere.

The reported violence came despite claims by the regime this week that it had halted military and police operations.

Meanwhile, opposition activists say Syrian forces fired heavy machine guns at a residential district in the central city of Homs today.

Residents said military helicopters also flew over the restive city in the early hours.

The United States and the European Union, in a coordinated move, have called on Assad to leave power.

Both the United States and the EU have imposed sanctions targeting the regime, but reports say no international military action is being considered for the Syrian situation at this time.

More than 2,000 people are estimated to have died in the Syrian conflict since the unrest began five months ago.

compiled from agency reports