Human rights activists said at least 15 people were killed yesterday in the volatile Syrian city of Daraa, the focal point of a week of anti-regime protests.

Activists and residents said security forces opened fire on protesters outside the Omari mosque early yesterday, after hundreds of people had gathered overnight to prevent police from storming it, and that shooting had continued sporadically over the course of the day.

One activist said “at least nine people were killed in the attack on the mosque, including a child, a woman and two members of the security forces,” and that six more were killed in attacks on a funeral procession later in the day.

“At least 13 were killed in the overnight attack on the mosque, and we estimate five or six were shot dead during the funeral procession,” said another activist.

Earlier, an AFP reporter saw two bodies being brought into the city hospital shortly after gunfire broke out in the afternoon around the mosque, where activists have been holed up for a week.

An 11-year-old girl was also killed by a stray bullet when security forces allegedly opened fire on a funeral procession yesterday for two of those killed overnight, the activist said.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has promised to probe the Daraa killings, but analysts warn that the situation is turning increasingly volatile.

But state-run television reported that Mr Assad had fired Daraa Governor Faysal Ahmad Khaltoum, days after young protesters burned down the local courthouse.

Daraa, a tribal city near the Jordanian border, has witnessed daily protests for the past week against the regime of Mr Assad, whose Baath party has ruled Syria uncontested for 40 years.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.