More than 20 demonstrators were injured Thursday when Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters as Arab League monitors arrived. Security forces assaulted protesters in the Grand Mosque area of Douma, an opposition activist group said. The Arab League monitors are working in troubled areas to observe the escalation of violence.
The Arab League has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces to withdraw and put an end to the violence. Many Syrians support that mission, but call the League’s efforts pointless. One criticism leveled at the monitors is the choice of Sudanese military commander, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, as head of the monitoring group. Opposition activists have criticized his role in promoting atrocities in the Darfur region.
