Syrian security forces backed by tanks killed eight civilians on Wednesday when they stormed a town near Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for human rights said, in the latest crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad.
The Britain-based Observatory reported that four tanks and a bulldozer entered Kanaker, 30-km southwest of the capital, while 14 other tanks surrounded the town.
It further said that residents threw stones and set fire to tires in an effort to block their advance.