Tens of thousands of people rallied in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus yesterday, as activists said 15 more people, including nine government soldiers, died in the latest violence.

The demonstrators, waving Syrian flags and brandishing pictures of Mr Assad, swarmed to Omayyad square in the heart of Damascus for the rally, chanting, “The people want Bashar al-Assad.”

Coinciding with the mass show of support, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday that 15 more people, including nine government soldiers, had been killed in the unrest pitting Assad loyalists and opponents.

“Nine servicemen, including an officer of the Syrian regular army, were killed by a rocket, fired by armed men, probably deserters. The soldiers were on a vehicle in Al-Hamrat village, on the Hama-Salamiyah road,” the rights group said.

Clashes between security forces and soldiers who have deserted and joined the opposition calling for the ouster of Mr Assad, have become more frequent in recent week, particularly in the centre of the country. The observatory said that four civilians, including an 18-month-old baby, had also been killed and 17 others wounded by security forces in the central Homs region, one of the bastions of the Syrian opposition.

Several districts in the area had been targeted by rocket fire, the group said.

Another civilian had been killed by shots coming from a military checkpoint at Saraqeb, in the northwestern region of Idlib, while a 63-year-old man had been killed the eastern region of Abu Kamal, it added.

The pro-Assad rally came as an Arab delegation led by Qatar was headed for Damascus for mediation between the Syrian government and its opponents. Headed by Qatar, the delegation includes the foreign ministers of Algeria Egypt, Oman and Sudan, in addition to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi. It was due to begin talks with Syrian officials in the capital in mid-afternoon.

Mr Arabi said he hoped “the Syrian regime would agree to this initiative, and begin with genuine reforms,” in comments to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat published yesterday.