Syrians to Take to the Streets to Protest Russia’s Vote Against U.N. Resolution
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across Syria on Friday to protest Russia and its recent vote against a United Nations resolution that would have condemned a brutal crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad.
The “Russia Is Killing Our Children” protest, organized by anti-government opposition groups, follows reports that at least 110 people died Thursday in attacks by Syrian forces on Homs.
Syria’s third-largest city has become a flashpoint in the nearly year long uprising.
The mass anti-government protest comes the same day state-run Syrian TV accused terrorists of two explosions Friday that rocked Aleppo, a city widely considered one of al-Assad’s seats of power.
There were reports of deaths and injuries among soldiers and civilians, according to an urgent news banner on state-run TV.
While Syrian state TV did not immediately detail Friday’s attacks, the news report seemed to indicate another crack in al-Assad’s base of support, with explosions rocking a city that has escaped much of the violence in the 11-month uprising.
To the south of Aleppo, in the besieged city of Homs, residents braced for another possible day of shelling by government forces.
The Local Coordination Committees, a network of opposition activists that organizes and documents anti-government protests, said that 110 of the deaths were in Homs; 10 were children.
CNN cannot independently confirm reports of violence or casualties in Syria because the government has severely limited the access of international journalists.
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