Activists: Syrian troops kill 11 in northwest
By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press
Dec 13, 2011 3:18 AM CST
A woman casts her vote in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011. Syria's state media has reported that voting started in scheduled municipal elections, but witnesses say turnout was low. The opposition does not consider the vote a legitimate concession by the regime because it coincides with a deadly...   (Associated Press)

An activist group says Syrian security forces have killed 11 civilians in a northwestern region where the army clashes frequently with anti-regime military defectors.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday another 26 people were injured in the shootings in two villages on Monday in the restive province of Idlib, which borders Turkey.

In a separate incident in Idlib, Syria's state-run media reported that border guards prevented 15 gunmen from infiltrating from Turkey on Monday. The report said that two infiltrators were killed.

A top U.N. rights official said Monday that the death toll from Syria's crackdown on a 9-month-old uprising has exceeded 5,000 people.

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