Seventeen dead as Syria stage mass protest

1 of 16. Still images taken from videos from social media sites showing protesters that covered their faces from the tear gas being fired on the outskirts of Damascus. Security forces opened fire on Syria protesters on December 30, 2011, killing at least 12, like hundreds of thousands filled the streets of the city is doing to demonstrate against the Government of President Bashar al-Assad, an activist of the opposition say.

BEIRUT (Reuters)-Syria’s army, undaunted by the presence of the security of the Arab League observers, has killed at least 12 protesters as hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the Government of President Bashar al-Assad, an activist of the opposition say.

Five members of the security forces were also killed in the shooting of the city of Homs, Syria United Kingdom-based Observatory for human rights said Friday.

Assad, 46, has signed up to the Arab League plan verified the withdrawal of troops and heavy weaponry from the towns and cities, where they have been trying to crush the protest that has raged since March.

But the presence of the Arab League to monitor the hotspots in Syria since Monday have, if any, active protesters, while provoking scepticism in Western countries.