Syrian security forces stormed the city of Homs again on Wednesday cutting off telecommunications and killing more anti-regime protesters. Witnesses reported heavy gun fire in the city where troops raided homes. Some reports claim seven people were killed in the city and said land lines and Internet and mobile phone lines have been cut. A Syrian activist told foreign media outlets that tanks moved into the city before dawn and began machine gunning homes at random. Wednesday's raid came a day after President Bashar Assad asked Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi to postpone his visit to the country. The ongoing violence led the European Union to impose sanctions on Syria but the steps appear to have had little effect. The Arab Organization for Human Rights estimates that more than 2,450 civilians and 700 members of the security forces have been killed since anti-government protests erupted in the country in March. An estimated 20,000 people are believed to have been imprisoned.
