© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Death Toll Rises As Syria's Crisis Heads To U.N. Security Council

Syrian soldiers who defected join protesters in the al-Khaldiya neighborhood of the restive city of Homs on January 26, 2012.
-
/
AFP/Getty Images
Syrian soldiers who defected join protesters in the al-Khaldiya neighborhood of the restive city of Homs on January 26, 2012.

At least 100 people were killed across Syria today by security forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, activists said. The Local Coordination Committees, which organize protests on the ground and document the killings, said 76 people were killed in the restive central region of Homs.

The past five days have been some of the bloodiest since the uprising began last March, with about 387 people killed since Thursday, activists said.

As we reported earlier today, the United Nations Security Council will meet Tuesday in New York to discuss a draft resolution calling for a political transition in Syria. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, will attend the meeting to lend support to the draft resolution. But Russia, a strong ally of President al-Assad, said it will block the draft because it "leaves open the possibility of intervention" in Syria's affairs, the BBC reported.

While foreign journalists have had limited access to Syria, activists and citizen journalists on the ground have used the Internet to publish information and updates. We have been watching social media sites where activists are uploading videos and photos. Some of their reporting is in the box below. Caution: some of the content is graphic. Do not click "play" unless you're sure you wish to watch.

(Ahmed Al Omran is a production assistant on NPR's social media desk.)

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ahmed Al Omran
Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!