Beirut (dpa) – Syrian forces backed by tanks surrounded Wednesday several areas in the flashpoint province of Daraa near the border with Jordan and made mass arrests, opposition activists said. Around 40 people were arrested in the area of Ankhel, including 10 women and two boys aged between 14 to 15 years, the Lebanon-based activists told dpa. Meanwhile, government forces were shelling areas in the neighborhood of Al Bayda in the central province of Homs, the activists said. There were no immediate reports on possible casualties. Thirty-two people were killed on Tuesday in violence across Syria, mainly in Homs, dubbed “the capital of the Syrian revolution.” More than 5,000 people have been killed since anti-government protests started last March, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile, an Arab diplomat based in Beirut, whose country is participating in an observer mission in Syria, told dpa that the Arab League and the Syrian government had reached an agreement to extend the mission for one more month. There was no immediate comment from the pan-Arab organization. Some 165 Arab observers were deployed in Syria on December 26 to verify if the Syrian government was implementing an Arab League plan to halt the violence against pro-democracy protesters and release all detainees. The observers' mandate is set to expire on Thursday. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/apb4A Tags: Activists, Darra, Troops Section: Latest News, Syria
