Death toll in Syrian protests reaches at least 3,500 says UN

At least 3,500 people have now been killed in Syria since protests against the government began in mid-March, the UN says.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Nov 2011, 06:00 BST

A spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the total was a conservative figure based on “credible sources on the ground” although the agency itself has no one posted in the country. The figure includes 19 killed on Sunday during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice.

The government has largely sealed off the country from foreign journalists, but amateur videos posted online and details gathered by activist groups have been filtering out.

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Meanwhile activists say fresh attacks by Syrian troops have killed two people in the central city of Homs as the military struggles to consolidate control over the district. Homs-based Salim al-Homsi said a man and a woman were killed by security forces’ fire in the neighbourhood of Baba Amr.

The day before, troops had stormed the southern and western parts of the district, a stronghold for anti-government military defectors.