Snipers, gunfire remain in Syrian cities; Arab League chief

Gunfire is continuing and snipers are still a threat in Syria, the Arab League secretary general has said.

The Syrian military has withdrawn from residential areas and is on the outskirts of the country’s cities, Nabil al-Arabi added.

The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests since March.

Arab League observers have been in Syria since Tuesday to monitor a peace plan by the league.

But there has been no let-up in violence, and correspondents say many demonstrators are becoming frustrated at the league’s inability to stop it.

Mr Arabi has said the league would report on the monitors’ work and decide if more was needed.

“There is gunfire. There must be a total halt to the gunfire,” he said, quoted by AFP news agency, adding that it was difficult to tell who was firing on whom.

Snipers were still on rooftops threatening civilians, he said.

BBC