12 Killed As Syrians Stage Largest Protests of Uprising

Every major city in Syria has been swamped by thousands of protesters calling for President Bashar al-Assad's removal.

Syrians staged their largest protests of the four-month-long uprising so far today, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets and at least 12 people being killed by government forces. The weekly Friday protests, held after prayers in the early evening, have called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but the demonstrations have apparently hardened Assad's resolve to remain. Security forces fired on activists in the capital, Damascus, killing at least five there, as well as others in the city of Idlibm. Rights groups estimate that more than 1,400 civilians have been killed so far in Assad's crackdown.