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Syria violence kills over 40 people Sat. - opposition

KUWAIT, March 31 (KUNA) -- Syrian forces killed Saturday at least 40 civilians, including six children and an elderly woman, in the cities of Idleb and Daraa, Hama, Damascus and its countryside.
In an updated tally to the victims of Saturday violence, the local coordinating committees said that the death toll has jumped to over 40 people after discovering corps of four unidentified people at Deir Baalaba street in Homs. While four others, including two children, were killed and scores injured in the army shelling of the village of Hamidiya in a Al-Qosser city.
The committees, which monitor the situation in Syria, disclosed that fierce clashes still going on between Syrian troops and the opposition Free Syrian Army in the cities of Hama, Idleb and Damascus countryside.
It noted Syrian government forces have opened fires on protesters in Ma'arat Al-Numan in Idleb and Harastan in Damascus.
Meanwhile, the Army bombed the town of Karak in eastern Daraa city living scores wounded. Security forces have also executed four activists in the area.
The government forces launched the crackdown campaign in Deir Al-Zour included the arrest of dozens of anti-regime activists.
In Al-Suwedaa, the Free Syrian Army said it has repelled a broad offensive by government forces backed with tanks after four-hour fighting that left scores dead and injured.
In the meantime, Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported that the security forces on Saturday arrested a number of gunmen, who have committed various crimes, in Eastern Ghota in Damascus Countryside.
SANA reporter cited an official source as saying that an amount of mines and explosive were seized.
It also revealed that security foiled an armed terrorist group's attempt to infiltrate from Lebanon into Syria near the border town of Ba'youn in Talkalakh, Homs countryside.
SANA reporter learned that clashes erupted with the terrorists led to the killing of a number of the group while others have fled to the Lebanese lands.
At Bab Amro in Homs, the authorities discovered a warehouse for weapons, seizing rifles, machine guns, explosives, hand-made bombs and a big quantity of ammunitions. (end) om.ibi KUNA 312123 Mar 12NNNN