- BEIRUT: The Syrian government says troops have begun withdrawing from a western border town following a six-day military operation that activists say killed at least 36 people.
The withdrawal from the town of Talkalakh comes as the country braces for a fresh wave of protests following Friday Muslim prayers.
Rights groups say more than 850 people have died in the regime crackdown on the country’s popular uprising since it erupted in a southern city in March.
The brutal crackdown has provoked international condemnation. President Barack Obama on Thursday called on Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, to lead his country to democracy or “get out of the way.” Syria’s official news agency said the withdrawal from Talkalakh comes after troops successfully ended the state of “chaos” caused by armed gangs.
