11 Killed in Syrian Violence Ahead of Arab League Meeting

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says nine soldiers were killed in the central Hama region after a rocket hit their vehicle. The group says army deserters who now back the opposition may have fired the rocket.

Opposition activists say security forces killed at least two civilians in separate incidents elsewhere in the country on Wednesday.

The deaths came ahead of an Arab League committee meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.  The delegation plans to discuss the possibility of starting dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition leaders.

Human Rights Watch wants the Arab League to demand that Syria allow independent civilian monitors to observe the actions of its security forces. 

The meeting comes about a week-and-a-half after the 22-nation Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo to discuss Syria’s unrest. Foreign ministers agreed to try to start talks between Assad and the newly formed opposition Syrian National Council. 

Thousands of Assad’s supporters rallied Wednesday in Damascus. State media reports have shown crowds of loyalists waving huge Syrian flags and posters of Assad. 

Opposition leaders have called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday. The Reuters news agency says most shops are closed in the flashpoint city of Homs and several other towns appear to be observing the strike. 

Assad has been facing growing international condemnation for his crackdown on dissent. The United Nations says the death toll from seven months of anti-government protests in the country has topped 3,000.

Activists say at least seven security force members were killed in violence on Tuesday.  They say the security agents died after their convoy was attacked by suspected army deserters in the northwestern Idlib province.