Funerals in Syria for victims of government crackdown

Day after security forces and militiamen loyal to Assad killed 16 people in Homs, video purportedly shows funerals for victims.

By REUTERS
Pro-Assad protesters in Syria 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Pro-Assad protesters in Syria 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A day after security forces and militiamen loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad killed 16 people in Homs, video posted on social media websites on Wednesday purportedly shows funerals for victims of an escalating crackdown in the city.
Another unverified video posted on a social media website showed thousands of people accompanying three coffins allegedly through the streets of the Bab al-Seba district of Homs as they chant anti-government slogans.
Syrian authorities have expelled most foreign journalists, making it hard to verify activist accounts or official statements.
Homs has been a major center of protests against Assad's rule.
Activists say the 16 deaths reported in Homs on Tuesday brought the total death count since the weekend to at least 33.