Syria crushes town-by-town dissent

In Syria, protests continue unabated.

Today, Syria's security forces quashed a town-by-town dissent by a mass round-up of opposition leaders. Thousands of students defied the crackdown to stage a protest in Syria's second-largest city Aleppo yesterday before being dispersed by baton-wielding loyalists and security force personnel, a rights activist said.

At least 19 civilians were killed yesterday as troops and unknown gunmen assaulted protest hubs across the country, shelling and firing on some and encircling others with tanks.

Between 600 and 700 people have been killed and at least 8,000 arrested since the start of the protest movement in mid-March, human rights groups say.