Syrian Troops Storm Daraa

The New York Times reports:

Syrian troops backed by tanks stormed at least three towns early Monday and snipers fired from rooftops, killing at least five people as the crackdown intensifies on a five-week uprising against President Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime, witnesses and activists said.

The most serious violence appeared to be in the southern city of Daraa, where the protest movement kicked off more than a month ago after authorities arrested a group of teenagers who scrawled anti-regime graffiti on a wall. Since then, more than 300 people have been killed across the country as the anti-government demonstrations have swelled.

"We need international intervention! We need countries to help us!" shouted a witness in Daraa who said he saw five corpses after security forces opened fire on a car. He spoke to The Associated Press by telephone.

Activists on social media posted footage of what they said were troops firing throughout Daraa.

The crackle of heavy gunfire punctuates the footage, as well as the labored, frightened breathing of the activist filming the footage. The activist repeats the date and location and says: "The army forces are entering Daraa. They are shelling the city of Daraa."

The video could not be independently verified and all witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted access to trouble spots since the uprising began, making it nearly impossible to get independent assessments of the situation on the ground.

Also Monday, witnesses said Syrian security forces had opened fire in the suburbs of Damascus and in the coastal town of Jableh, where witnesses said police and army units fired from rooftops over the weekend even though there were no apparent threats and no protests in progress.