[July 29, 2011] 1ST LEAD: Syrian activists vow daily Ramadan protests Eds: Updates with demos; attack on oil pipeline Tweet Jul 29, 2011 (dpa - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CAIRO/DAMASCUS -- Syrian activists have called for daily protests during the Muslim holy month, expected to begin on Monday, as Syrians Friday embarked on fresh anti-government demonstrations. In a statement posted on Facebook, activists from the restive central city of Homs said that pro-democracy protests would be held every night in Ramadan and continue until dawn. Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar during which Muslims have to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset. Protesters demonstrated Friday in the central city of Aleppo demanding the ouster of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the opposition group the Local Coordination Committees of Syria. Meanwhile, security forces tightened their presence near mosques in the southern province of Daraa in anticipation of anti-government protests after noon prayers. Online activists have called for mass protests across Syria to denounce what they say is Arab silence over the harsh government actions against pro-democracy demonstrations. "All countries condemned attacks in Norway, which left 90 people dead. In Syria, some 2,000 have been killed, but the Arab rulers and the Arab League remain silent," added the activists in a Facebook message. Syrians have recently intensified their protests against the 11-year-old rule of al-Assad despite a draconian clampdown by the security and army troops. Syrian security forces fired at pro-democracy protesters late Thursday in the Deir az-zour region, killing at least two people, activists told the German Press Agency dpa. A video posted on YouTube and purportedly filmed Thursday in Deir az-Zour showed dozens of people protesting the regime in front of al-Fourat University. The video could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, a Syrian official said Friday that a "terrorist" attack had targeted an oil pipeline in Homs. "This is primarily a subversive and terrorist act, aimed at two vital sectors," the official Syrian News Agency SANA quoted Ghassan Abdel Aal, the governor of Homs, as saying. He added that the pipeline is located near a dam, which irrigates large tracts of farmland. "The explosion caused heavy damage to the pipeline and disrupted the irrigation process as it caused oil pollution in the dam and irrigation canals," said Abdel Aal. No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the alleged attack. More than 1,400 people have been killed since anti-government protests began in mid-March in Syria, local human rights advocates say. These reports are hard to verify, as Syrian authorities have barred most foreign media and international human rights groups from the country. To see more of dpa, go to http://www.dpa.de/English.82.0.html Copyright (c) 2011, dpa, Berlin Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]