15 Killed in Syrian Protests

Reports indicate security forces fired live ammunition at unarmed civilians.

President Bashar al-Assad has fired the governor of Syria’s Daraa province after 15 people were killed during demonstrations Wednesday. Seven people were shot dead after morning prayers in the city of Daraa when security forces stormed protesters’ positions. Later in the day, 3,000 protesters from neighbouring towns gathered outside Daraa and clashed with an army brigade led by one of the president’s relatives. Eight more people died in that skirmish. Syria is the latest Middle Eastern country to be gripped by anti-government demonstrations. Protesters are calling for an end to the decades-long state of emergency and demanding greater political freedom. Twenty-one people have died in the city of Daraa alone since Friday.