Six Syrian Protesters Killed in Mosque Raid: Report

But state TV says 4 died in gang attack
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 23, 2011 10:16 AM CDT
Six Syrian Protesters Killed in Mosque Raid: Report
This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA shows guns, hand grenades, bullets and stacks of money, which Syria's state-run TV said were seized from inside al-Omari Mosque in Daraa.   (AP Photo/SANA)

Some people definitely died today in the southern Syrian city of Dara, but how it happened depends on who you talk to. News agencies are reporting that six people were killed when Syrian security forces raided a mosque where protesters had taken refuge, the New York Times reports. But Syrian state-run TV tells a different story: it said four had been killed when an “armed gang” attacked an ambulance. It also showed guns and ammo that it said were confiscated from inside the mosque.

Dara’s streets were full of protesters yesterday, until security forces pushed many to take refuge in the mosque, which has been a central base for protesters. “They are shooting,” one person inside said via telephone. “Killing and killing and more killing.” Another resident reported that “security forces may be trying to storm the complex. It is not clear because electricity has been cut off. Tear gas is also being used.” (More Syria stories.)

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