Syria unrest: Arab League monitors begin mission
A group of 50 Arab League observers has begun its mission in Syria to verify compliance with a regional plan to end months of violence.
The head of the mission was reported to be heading to the volatile city of Homs, where activists said security forces killed 30 people on Monday.
Activists said tanks began to withdraw from Homs early on Tuesday.
The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed in a crackdown against anti-government protests.
The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March, inspired by a wave of rebellions across the Arab world.
The Syrian government says it is fighting armed gangs and that hundreds of members of the security forces have been killed as well.
Casualty figures are hard to verify as most foreign media are banned from reporting in Syria.
After Monday’s violence, activists said armoured vehicles were pulling out of the Baba Amr district of Homs early on Tuesday.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP news agency that 11 tanks left the district early on Tuesday. Associated Press and Reuters news agencies quoted an activist in the district, Mohamed Saleh, as saying he saw six tanks leaving.