11 Syrian forces killed says activist group

NICOSIA: At least 11 security force members were killed by army defectors in Syria's flashpoint city of Homs on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement sent to AFP in Nicosia.

"Eleven soldiers and members of the security forces were killed in skirmishes on Thursday with deserter troops in the Homs region," the rights group said.

Earlier, the group said at least two civilians were killed when a sniper killed a man in the Bayyada area of Homs, where security forces shot dead another civilian during a raid in Karm el-Zeitoun district.

On Tuesday, six children and five mutinous soldiers were among 34 people killed across Syria, according to the Britain-based group.