Syria cracks down as daily protests urged

The Syrian government broadened its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, moving troops and tanks into more cities to quell the seven-week uprising. Activists said at least 10,000 protesters have been detained during the last few days in a mass-arrest operation across the country while more shelling occurred in Homs, The New York Times reported. "The situation is so bad this morning. It's been continuous shelling since Sunday," Abu Haydar, a resident there, told the Times by telephone, adding that only grocery stores and pharmacies are open and soldiers established checkpoints throughout the city. The Syrian government included more cities and towns in crackdown on the uprising week uprising against the government of President Bashar Assad. Activists said army troops and tanks entered Hama and several southern villages near Daraa, considered ground zero for the uprising. "The big question now is what's next," said Wissam Tarif, executive director of Insan, a Syrian human rights group. "They are about to announce victory, but what will happen when they pull the troops out?" The government's response same as activists used Facebook to call for daily protests, the Times said. "The Tuesday of solidarity with prisoners of conscience in the jails of the Syrian criminal regime," an entry on the Facebook page said. "The demonstration will continue every day." In Damascus, security forces set up more checkpoints and dispatched more patrols, residents reported. The army also conducted arrest operations in cities along the Mediterranean coast, including Baniyas and Jabla. Diplomats at the United Nations said international pressure after the crackdown prompted Syria to drop its bid to seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, the British broadcaster said. The decision, however, hasn't been confirmed. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Syria to move away from its tough stance and listen to the protesters. "I urge again President Assad to heed calls for reform and freedom and to desist from excessive force and mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators," Ban said.