Post date: Apr 18, 2011 5:17:0 PM
Thousands demand the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the funeral of eight protesters killed in the central city of Homs. In nearby Talbiseh witnesses claim three mourners are killed at a separate funeral.
TALBISEH, NEAR HOMS, SYRIA (PURPORTEDLY APRIL 17, 2011) SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Thousands on Monday (April 18) demanded the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the funeral of eight protesters killed overnight in the central city of Homs, in escalating unrest despite a promise to lift emergency law.
Activists said the eight were killed late on Sunday (April 17) in Homs during protests against the death in custody of a tribal leader.Amateur video obtained by Reuters and believed to have been shot on Sunday night shows a crowd of protesters sweeping through a central Square in Homs shouting, "The people want to overthrow the regime."
Earlier in the day at another funeral in the town of Talbiseh, north of Homs, two witnesses said security forces killed three mourners when they opened fire on them.
State news agency SANA said "armed criminals" had opened fire on security forces, killing a policeman and wounding 11 others. It also said a military unit clashed with gunmen on the highway heading north from Homs, killing three gunmen.
Video uploaded to a social networking site purportedly shows the Talbiseh funeral, followed by what appear to be people attempting to shelter from a hail of gunfire.
Another video purportedly shows a protest underway on Sunday night in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Reuters cannot independently verify the content of these videos.
The unrest, which broke out a month ago in the southern city of Deraa, has spread across Syria and presented the gravest challenge yet to Assad, who assumed the presidency in 2000 when his father Hafez al-Assad died after 30 years in power.