JNN 09 Jan 2012 Damascus : At least 11 Syrian soldiers have been killed and 20 others wounded in clashes with gunmen in Dara’a province, south of the capital Damascus.Thousands of people have gathered at a mosque in the Syrian capital to perform funerary prayers for the victims of the bombing attacks that left 26 people dead.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting erupted in the village of Basr al-Harir before dawn on Sunday.

Heavy machine-gun exchanges have also been reported in the town of Dael, but there are no immediate reports of casualties.

On Friday, an explosion that targeted a police bus in central Damascus also killed more than 20 people and injured over 60 others.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March. The Arab League observers prepare to issue their first findings on the unrest in Syria at a meeting in Cairo later on Sunday.

The United Nations said in mid-December that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the turmoil.

Damascus says over 2,000 of those killed were members of its security forces.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

The mass funeral ceremony was held at the al-Hassan mosque on Saturday.
Friday’s explosion that targeted a police bus in central Damascus also injured more than 60 others.

The terrorist attack was the second incident in two weeks to hit the Syrian capital.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March and the UN said more than 5,000 people have been killed in the country over the past nine months.

Damascus says over 2,000 of those killed were members of its security forces.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

The Arab League observers are in Syria to investigate the country’s months-long unrest