Syrian forces killed at least two protesters when they fired live ammunition to disperse pro-democracy protests after Friday prayers in intensified assaults to crush a six-month uprising, activists said. Citing reports from the street, they said the killings occurred in the province of Homs, scene of some of the largest demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad and where troops and tanks are deployed in the provincial capital and in the countryside. Protesters also came under fire in the tribal region of Deir al-Zor on the border with Iraq, the city of Hama, and in several Damascus suburbs, they said. “Help Syria. It is bleeding,” read placards carried by protesters in the poor suburb of Hajar al-Asswad, according to footage aired by residents, reflecting growing street calls for international protection to stop civilian killings. An activist told al-Jazeera Television: “The opposition is against foreign military intervention. But we want protection in any form to stop the slaughter.”
