Syrian security forces attack village – Middle East – Al Jazeera English

Syrian security forces have fired upon people in the village of Bayda, near the town of Baniyas in the country’s northeast, injuring at least one person, witnesses have told Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, security forces in Baniyas killed at least four pro-reform protesters and left another 17 wounded, human rights groups have said.

“Security forces and armed men are firing machine guns indiscriminately at [Bayda],” a witness said on Tuesday.

“The gunfire against Bayda is intense like the rain. At least one person was injured,” another witness said, describing the violence in the village, which is 10km south of Baniyas.

“What we are hearing from residents [in Bayda] is that there has been a campaign of arrests, those who have been detained are taken to the main square … and eyewitnesses say they are being brutally beaten,” reported Al Jazeera’s Rula Amin from Damascus.

“In Baniyas … the city is still sealed, tension is very high … and [there is a] heavy security presence.”

“The goal of the attack is probably the arrest of Anas al-Shukri [one of the leaders of the opposition movement],” a human rights activist, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

via Syrian security forces attack village – Middle East – Al Jazeera English.