Syrian troops fire at protesters, opposition to meet in Tunisia

The Syrian National Council will hold a three-day meeting in Tunisia on Friday in a bid to speed up the fall of the Syrian regime.

SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun said on the eve of the congress opening that “Assad is down; Syria will be a democratic country and the people will be free no matter the price.”

On the domestic front, Syrian activists said troops opened fire to disperse anti-government protests after midday prayers at several locations around the country, shooting dead at least one person.         

The Local Coordination Committees and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday's death took place in the restive central city of Homs.         

The Observatory said there was also shooting near a mosque in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour but it's unclear if there were casualties there.          

The U.N. raised its death toll for the Syrian uprising substantially this week, saying more 5,000 people have been killed since the revolt began in mid-March.         

Syrian army defectors killed 27 government forces in apparently coordinated attacks Thursday that were among the deadliest by rebel troops so far.         

AP / LBCI