Syrian dictatorship under siege: Witnesses say four protesters killed in Syria

Syrian security forces and progovernment gunmen killed four protesters yesterday in the port city of Banias after the army sealed off the city as hundreds gathered, undaunted by the regime’s use of deadly force to quell more than three weeks of unrest, witnesses said.

One witness, reached by telephone, said hundreds of protesters had gathered near al-Rahman mosque when security forces and armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on them.

The names of the dead were read through mosque loudspeakers. He said dozens of people were wounded, but most of them asked to be treated at a small clinic instead of at the main hospital, which was under the control of the feared security forces.

For more: Witnesses say four protesters killed in Syria - The Boston Globe