Syrian troops fire at anti-regime protesters

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters Friday killing at least six people as thousands rallied across the country to call for the downfall of President Bashar Assad's regime, activists said. Troops also clashed with armed anti-regime forces in central regions for a third straight day.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six people were killed in the central cities of Hama and Homs as well as the central town of Rastan, where the clashes between troops and army defectors has been raging for days. Syria-based rights activist Mustafa Osso put the death toll at 11.

It was impossible to resolve the discrepancy or to independently verify …