Breaking News -- Syria News : Hama army raid 'kills dozens' – BBC -- Amateur footage of what is believed to be the city of Hama as Syrian forces attack. Syrian security forces have stormed the city of Hama and killed more than 80 people in a bid to crush a long-running anti-government protest, reports say. Eyewitnesses said tanks and troops moved into the city earlier and have been firing on civilians. Hospitals say they are overflowing with casualties.
The government said troops had been sent in to remove barricades and roadblocks erected by the protesters.
US officials accused the government of waging "full-on warfare" on its people.
The assault was a last act of utter desperation by the Syrian gvernment, said JJ Harder, a US embassy spokesman in the capital, Damascus.
With this latest military operation, the authorities are sending a clear message that they will not tolerate large-scale unrest ahead of the month of Ramadan, when protests are expected to grow, says the BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus.
But our correspondent says the people of Hama remain defiant, with some still out in streets shouting: "We will not be killed again," a reference to a massacre in 1982 when tens of thousands were killed.
There has also been trouble in other parts of Syria on Sunday:
Residents in the southern town of Hirak said four civilians have been killed and dozens more injured or detained
Rights groups said more than 100 people have been arrested in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya
At least seven civilians were killed in the eastern provincial capital of Deir al-Zour, where tanks are patrolling the streets, according to activists
A powerful tribal leader, Nawaf al-Bashir, was detained by secret police in Damascus
The government said five soldiers, including a colonel, have been killed across the country.
The recent protests - calling for widespread democratic reforms and political freedoms - show no sign of letting up despite a government crackdown that has brought international condemnation and sanctions.
Activists say more than 1,500 civilians and 350 security personnel have been killed across Syria since protests began in mid-March.
More than 12,600 people have been arrested and 3,000 others are reported missing.
Continue Reading : Centre of protests
Continue Reading : Centre of protests
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