Syria: At Least 50 Killed In Protests
Human rights group said at least 50 people killed across Syria on Friday. According to CNN, at least 16 were killed in the southern city of Daraa . Dozens were wounded, a resident of the nearby Tafa village said
A group of residents marched toward the western entrance of the city, about 3 kilometers from the city center, and then security forces opened fire, killing 14 and wounding 38.
A second group of protesters who tried to slip through from Daraa’s northern entrance were met with gunfire from a security checkpoint, resulting in two more deaths, said a witness.
Friday brought the largest anti-regime protest in Damascus since the protests began last month. An estimated 15,000 protesters demonstrated in the capital.
Large demonstrations were also reported in the central city of Homs, the coastal cities of Baniyas and Latakia, the northern cities of Raqqa and Hama, and the northeastern town of Qamishli.
Meanwhile, the United States Friday imposed sanctions and blocked assets of the brother of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, several other officials and of the country’s intelligence services.
In an executive order, President Obama sanctioned Maher Al-Assad, who commands Syria’s Fourth Armored Division, Ali Mamluk the director of the Intelligence Directorate, and Atif Najib, the former head of the directorate for Daraa province.
