Activists say Syrian government troops have fired live ammunition to disperse mourners gathered for the funeral of an activist in the country's east.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Sunday's shooting in the city of Deir el-Zour.

The activist, Ziad al-Obeidi, was shot dead Saturday. He worked for the British-based Observatory for Human Rights in Syria and had been in hiding since troops stormed the city two months ago.

Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said some 7,000 people calling for the downfall of President Bashar Assad took part in Sunday's funeral procession.

Abdul-Rahman and other activists said security forces also stormed areas near the capital Damascus and were carrying out house-to-house arrests as part of efforts to suppress the resilient anti-government uprising.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) _ Activists say Syrian government troops have fired live ammunition to disperse mourners gathered for the funeral of an activist in the country's east.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Sunday's shooting in the city of Deir el-Zour.

The activist, Ziad al-Obeidi, was shot dead Saturday. He worked for the British-based Observatory for Human Rights in Syria and had been in hiding since troops stormed the city two months ago.

Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said some 7,000 people calling for the downfall of President Bashar Assad took part in Sunday's funeral procession.

Abdul-Rahman and other activists said security forces also stormed areas near the capital Damascus and were carrying out house-to-house arrests as part of efforts to suppress the resilient anti-government uprising.