Syria votes amid violence, activists say polls a sham

Prime Minister Adel Safar urged Syrians to vote in local elections on Monday to save the nation from "conspiracies against us" but activists struggling to oust President Bashar-al Assad rejected the ballot as irrelevant at a time of violent unrest.   

As voting began, security forces battled pro-opposition army defectors in clashes that are starting to eclipse the campaign of peaceful street protest that began the uprising against Assad nine months ago, raising fears that Syria is drifting into civil war.   

Monday also saw the second day of the opposition's "Strike for Dignity", widely supported in protest strongholds around the country and which activists say security forces have tried to break by force and threats.   

It was unclear what turnout was like in cities such as Homs, Hama, Idlib and Deraa, where many residents have been too scared by violence to leave their homes in recent days.   

Four people were reported killed on Monday by security forces in Homs province, where the government says it is fighting "armed terrorist gangs" controlled from abroad. The state news agency SANA said the army killed one rebel, wounded others and arrested a leader.   

One person was killed and seven wounded in Idlib when they were fired on by security forces. Tanks fired on Sunni districts in Homs, where the strike held and voting was largely boycotted, residents said. A 14-year-old boy was killed by shrapnel.   

Reuters