SYRIA: At least 15 killed in Dera, Bashar al-Assad sacking the governor of the city

At least 15 people were killed Wednesday in Deraa, the core of the dispute against the government in Syria, which has spilled over into neighboring towns despite a massive deployment of the army and riot police, according to rights activists, the man.

The authorities have blamed the clashes on an "armed gang", accusing him of killing four people and "to store weapons in the mosque," al-Omari to Deraa, a tribal town about 120 km south of Damascus experiencing unprecedented protests since March 18.

Nevertheless, they sacked the governor of Deraa, Khaltoum Faisal, one of the measures demanded by the demonstrators who defied a state of emergency in the country since 1963.

The protests were violently suppressed a total of 21 dead, over a hundred wounded and dozens arrested in a country ruled with an iron fist for 40 years by the Ba'athist regime, where the slightest hint of democracy is put down immediately.

The United States said they were "alarmed" by "violence and arbitrary arrests", while UN chief Ban Ki-moon has condemned the violence against "peaceful protesters".

President Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 after the death of his father, did not intervene publicly since the protests began on March 15 launched in Damascus.

New clashes in Dera erupted before dawn.Nine demonstrators, including two women, one child and a doctor, were killed and dozens wounded near the al-Omari, became the rallying point for protesters, according to activists of human rights.

"The security forces fired live bullets and teargas at the demonstrators," said one of them.

Later, six people, including a 11 year old girl suffering from a stray bullet, were killed at funerals of victims of violence at night, "said another activist.

"Live ammunition were fired while the parents of victims and protesters returning from the funeral," he said.

Meanwhile, exchanges of fire took place between security forces and protesters around the al-Omari, according to an AFP reporter who saw two people taken to hospital. One was hit by a bullet to the head and another body was bloodied.The exact circumstances of their deaths were not yet known.

The authorities have denounced "foreign parties who continue to spread lies about Deraa" and said that SMS messages were sent to most of Israel, calling on Syrians to provoke unrest.

Late afternoon, the streets were deserted and most shops closed at Deraa, encircled by the army and riot police.

All entrances to the town were blocked and vehicles allowed to enter must pass two dams run by members of the intelligence services armed plainclothes.

But the protests have affected neighboring towns.Residents of Dahel, 25 km further north, reported casualties during demonstrations against the regime, while more than 2,000 people marched through the town near Kharra as an activist.

It was not possible to confirm this information.

An unprecedented protest movement began on March 15 in Syria following a call via a Facebook page titled "Revolution against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011," at events for "a Syria without tyranny of lawless emergency or exceptional courts. "

Small demonstrations have been dispersed since March 15 in the capital, then the movement has spread to the south.

Inequalities have widened in Syria, poverty affecting 14% of the 22 million Syrians. The rate of unemployment, which particularly affects young people, is estimated by experts to 22%.