Seven dead as Syrian protests continue

Syrian security forces shot dead at least seven people as tens of thousands protested on the streets on Friday for the country's "day of rage". The mass demonstrations came following Friday prayers, in defiance of warnings of a crackdown.

Protests took place across the country, with the epicentre of the demonstrations in Daraa. There, military officials told the AFP news agency that four soldiers had been killed and two were captured by armed terrorists.

Rights activists told the AFP that seven civilians were shot dead by security forces.

Facebook played a large role in the protests, where a special page - Syrian Revolution 2011 - called for the mass demonstrations on Friday.

Dissidents say that security forces have killed more than 450 people since the Syrian protests began in mid-March.

Information Minister Adnan Mahmud told the AFP that the crackdown would continue and said that the "authorities are determined to restore security, stability and peace to the citizens."

The protests come on the same day as meetings in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council and in Brussels with EU ambassadors concerning possible sanctions on Syria, due to the violence by government security forces in recent months.