Syria, April 19: At least ten people have been killed by armed “criminal gangs” as security forces tried to end a pro-reform sit-in in the central Syrian city of Homs.
The ten people lost their lives in clashes with members of armed Salafi groups that refused to leave the city’s Clock Square, local media reported Tuesday.
A rights campaigner has also acknowledged that people were told to leave the square before the clashes erupted.
The protest sit-in was held despite a government warning that some armed Salafi groups were planning what it described as “an insurrection” through terrorizing the population.
On Thursday, Syria detained members of a terrorist group that were planning acts of sabotage to destabilize the country. Syrian security officials blame the recent protests on foreign elements providing armed groups with financial and military assistance.
Since mid-March, Syria has been struggling with protests that have left scores of people dead, including security forces.
—–Agencies