BEIRUT – Thousands of defiant Syrians chanting "We are not afraid!" were met
by security forces firing bullets and tear gas Friday in a crackdown on
nationwide protests that left 42 people dead — many of them villagers trying to
break an army blockade of the southern city where the six-week uprising
began.
President Bashar Assad again unleashed deadly force in a determined effort to
crush the revolt, the gravest challenge to his family's 40-year ruling
dynasty.
Although still in control, he will struggle to recover legitimacy at home and
abroad if he manages to stay in power. The United States slapped three top
officials in his regime — including his brother — with sanctions and nations
agreed to launch a U.N.-led investigation of Syria's crackdown.
Human rights groups say about 500 people have been killed since the uprising
began.
Many of the 42 people killed Friday were in Daraa, said human rights activist
Mustafa Osso, whose Syria-based group compiles casualty lists from the
crackdown. He told The Associated Press that the death toll could rise. AP
