At least eight people were killed on Friday in Syria after troops fired live ammunition at anti-government protesters, activists said.
The deaths were in the Damascus suburbs of Dumair and Zabadani, in the Midan area in the centre of the capital, and the coastal city of Banyas, Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
More than 40 people were wounded, most of them in Damascus, Idlib and Douma, said the group, which has been documenting the protests since they began in mid-March.
Security forces used force against the anti-government protesters in a bid to disperse them, as thousands took to the streets to voice opposition to a “national dialogue” conference proposed by President Bashar al-Assad and set for July 10.
An estimated 1,400 civilians and 348 security personnel have been killed since the protests, calling for al-Assad’s ouster, began, according to human rights groups.
In the southern city of Daraa, security forces moved in to disperse protesters leaving the Khaled Ibn al—Walid mosque, activists said online.
The authorities imposed a curfew in southern Inkhil, announcing it through loudspeakers in the town, broadcaster Al Arabiya reported.
Activists said about 3,000 armed al-Assad loyalists had deployed around the city’s mosque, to prevent protesters from gathering after weekly prayers.
Security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas on protesters in the central city of Homs as well as the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
Activists said that half million protesters took to the streets in the central city of Hama, and there was no security presence there.
The US and French ambassadors were in Hama on Friday in support of the protesters.
