Syrian protesters seek foreign help amid crackdown

AP -- Thousands of Syrian protesters appealed Friday for international help in the face of a bloody government crackdown, marking a fundamental shift in an uprising that has defied bullets, tanks and snipers but has failed to crack the regime of President Bashar Assad.

The revolt in Syria began six months ago with modest calls for reform and an insistence that there be no foreign intervention whatsoever.

But as the crackdown continues, and the death toll tops 2,200 people, the protesters are increasingly calling for some sort of outside help _ although not necessarily military action like the NATO intervention that helped topple the government of Libya.

Instead, they are largely calling for observation missions and human rights monitors who could help deter attacks on civilians.

"We want international protection!" protesters shouted in cities across the country, taking to the streets as they do every Friday after the main Muslim prayer service of the week, despite the near-certainty that regime forces will respond with deadly force.

The calls are a sign of the growing frustration _ and desperation _ by a remarkably resilient movement that is nonetheless stuck in a stalemate with the regime.

Assad still has the iron loyalty of the armed forces, which is key to his power. Assad and his father, who ruled before him, stacked key military posts in the overwhelmingly Sunni country with members of their minority Alawite sect, melding the fate of the army and the regime.

His main base of support also includes Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who feel they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad.

Widespread international condemnation and sanctions have done little to stop the crackdown in Syria. The regime has all but sealed off the country to foreigners, saying the unrest is being driven by terrorists and thugs who want to destroy Syria.

The media blackout makes it difficult to independently confirm reports, but amateur video and other witness accounts have become vital lines of information out of Syria.

On Friday, videos showed crowds calling for Assad's execution and hoisting signs that read, "Bashar: Game Over!"

The protests were in flashpoint areas, including the Damascus suburbs, the central city of Homs and Idlib province near the Turkish border. Security forces broke up most of the gatherings by firing bullets, tear gas and chasing protesters with batons, activists said.

Several people were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, but the death toll was not immediately clear as activists gave conflicting figures.

On Thursday, a leading human rights group said Syrian security forces "forcibly removed" patients from a hospital and prevented doctors from reaching the wounded during a military siege in the restive central city of Homs this week.

New York-based Human Rights Watch cited testimony from witnesses, including doctors.

"Snatching wounded people from the operating room is inhumane and illegal, not to mention life-threatening," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Cutting people off from essential medical care causes grave suffering and perhaps irreparable harm."

Wednesday's military operation in Homs killed at least 20 people. It was among the most severe crackdowns on an urban center during the uprising.

A doctor at the al-Barr hospital said security forces seized some of the wounded from the hospital.

"When we tried to help the wounded who needed urgent medical care, the security forces pushed us back, saying these were criminals and rapists," the doctor told HRW. "They were beating the wounded as they moved them out of the hospital."

There have been other reports of security forces targeting hospitals and rounding up the wounded in Syria and in Bahrain, where there were widespread protests this year led by the country's Shiite majority against the long-ruling Sunni monarchy.

Doctors and nurses who treated protesters during rallies in Bahrain were rounded up in a subsequent crackdown that resulted in the arrests of hundreds of activists.