Armed groups kill 1 civilian, wound 2 police officers in Syria: state TV

One civilian was shot dead and two police officers were wounded in separate attacks by armed groups in Syria, the state TV reported Friday.

Armed groups gunned down a civilian as they opened fire indiscriminately during the protests in the northern province of Idleb, the TV said.

Another armed group attacked a police station in the Ruken al- Dein neighborhood in the country's capital Damascus, injuring two police officers, it said.

The TV disputed as "baseless" the reports by some satellite TV stations about the number of people killed by the security forces in the southern province of Daraa.

The Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV quoted activists as saying that at least 16 people were killed nationwide on Friday, as thousands of anti-government protesters streamed into the streets, calling for freedom and the downfall of the leadership.

Syria has been in unrest since mid March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities. The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy" and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.

The Syrian government said 1,200 members of security forces and army personnel had died since the eruption of protests. According to activists, more than 1,600 civilians have died and some 10,000 have been detained.

Source: Xinhua

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