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At least 23 protesters have been killed during anti-government rallies in the southern Syrian city of Deraa today. There are also unconfirmed reports of deaths in Homs, Duma and Harasta, as protests swept the country. The deaths occurred after Friday prayers when security forces opened fire with rubber-coated bullets and live rounds to disperse stone-throwing protesters.
In the east, thousands of ethnic Kurds also demonstrated for reform despite the Syrian president's offer this week to ease rules which bar many Kurds from citizenship. Separate protests erupted in the western port city of Latakia, Tartus, Baniyas, Homs, near the Lebanese border, in Edlibin the northwest of the country and in other cities.
Gunfire was also heard in Harasta, a suburb of the capital, Damascus, where three people were said to have been killed. Another two protesters were killed in Homs, according to unconfirmed reports. The official SANA news agency said 19 members of the security forces were killed and 75 were wounded by "armed groups" in Daraa. "According to an interior ministry source, there were 19 martyrs among the police and security forces and 75 wounded by armed groups which used live ammunition in Daraa," the agency said.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting on Friday from Douma, another Damascus suburb, said there were no security forces visible in the area. But "it's a new situation in Syria", she said. "We saw thousands of people taking to the streets after Friday prayers, from all walks of life: young and old, professionals and not professionals, educated, not educated, there were some Islamists, some nationalists. At least 10 people were killed last Friday in Douma, seen as another focal point of protests where demonstrators have set up a vigil outside the mosque.
Protesters killed in Syrian town - Middle East - Al Jazeera English