Mass Graves Reported in Syria

President Bashar al-Assad continues a brutal suppression of protests amid reports of 13 bodies uncovered near Deraa.

A report of a mass grave containing the bodies of 13 people killed during anti-government protests has been denied by the Syrian government. Residents of Deraa, the city where the Syrian uprising began, said they uncovered the grave, including the bodies of women and children, in farmland just outside the city, while a human-rights group claims it has found a second grave in Deraa's old town. Protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad have paralyzed Syria for two months, despite a violent crackdown that has killed at least 700 people in the Middle Eastern country. Opposition leaders have called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday.