30 civilians, 26 soldiers killed as Syria protesters fight back

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: MSNBC

At least 30 civilians and 26 soldiers were killed in Syria ahead of Friday prayers, activists said, as a seven-month crackdown on pro-democracy protests becomes more violent and attacks on security forces increase.

Friday prayers provide a rare venue for Syrians to gather in defiance of efforts to put down protests, and activists reported a heavier security presence around mosques in big towns last week, preventing prayers in some from being held.

November is already shaping up to be one of the bloodiest months yet in Syria's 8-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

The Local Coordination Committees activist network says 250 Syrians have been killed since the start of the month. Most of the dead are civilians, and about 20 are soldiers. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also documented more than 200 civilian deaths. But the observatory has a far higher toll for soldiers, saying more than 100 were killed.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45252656/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.Tr1jh_SXuso

[ccavagnolo]

1. Just some more lives lost.

No one will be coming to your aid, no one will help end the slaughter. Hearts and thoughts are with you.