At least 11 people, including a rebel fighter, were killed Sunday in Syria, reported the opposition, days before the United Nations starts discussing the situation in the troubled country. Six civilians were killed when forces believed to be loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad fired indiscriminately in a suburban area of the restive province of Hama, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Three others, including two children, were killed in a shelling attack by Syrian troops on the town of Deir Al-Zour in the east of the country, the Observatory added. Elsewhere, a woman was killed in an indiscriminate firing in the district of Al-Ziyabia on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, reported the London-based observatory. An opposition rebel died in fighting with Al-Assad's troops in the southern province of Daraa, the cradle of the 16-month uprising against the regime, said the observatory. A debate is due to start Wednesday at the UN Security Council on a report by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in which he has called for scaling back a mission of unarmed observers who have been present in Syria since April, according to a report of DPA. Ban has recommended that the smaller mission should focus on promoting political dialogue rather than monitoring a shaky ceasefire in the country. The team, whose mandate expires later this month, suspended its activities last month due to the spike in violence.
