SYRIA: Protesters reportedly shot and killed in Daraa in early morning raid

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Several people were reportedly shot and killed when Syrian special forces closed in on a mosque in the southern city of Daraa that has been the center of an ongoing anti-government protest movement since Friday.

Accounts differed, but at least four and as many as six people are thought to have been killed, according to Arab media.

A Syrian rights activist from the National Center for Human Rights in Syria told Babylon & Beyond that six people were killed: Bilal Abu Nabout, Mohammad Abu Ain, Hamed Mussalima, Ghassan Muhaamid, Aziz Nabout, and Dr. Ali Ghassaab al Muhaamid, who was part of the medical team attending to wounded protesters.

Activists say six more have been confirmed dead following a violent weekend crackdown, bringing to total number of fatalities to at least 10 since the unrest began.

The raid was launched in the early morning following a fifth day of protests demanding greater political freedom and the release of dissident prisoners, including a group of children from the area who were reportedly arrested for writing revolutionary slogans on a wall.

--Meris Lutz in Beirut

Video: Al Jazeera English reports on an overnight raid in Daraa, Syria, that reportedly killed several people. Credit: Al Jazeera via YouTube