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Another day of raids, deaths in Syria

By the CNN Wire Staff
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Death in Syria sparks outrage
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Protests have persisted for about six months
  • At least three deaths were reported on Wednesday, activists say
  • The uncle of a late activist is detained, activists say

(CNN) -- Syrian security forces kept up an offensive against anti-government protesters Wednesday, six months after the popular uprising started against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Security personnel launched raids in the provinces of Homs, Idlib, Damascus and Hama, and deaths were reported by activists.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an activist group, said authorities arrested two uncles of Ghiyath Mattar, a protest organizer who was killed after being arrested recently in the Damascus suburb of Daraya. One was released and the other remains in custody.

The committees and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights each reported three deaths -- two people in a Hama village and one death in Homs during a raid.

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The observatory said 15 people have been arrested in Homs, and reported that security forces and soldiers used machine guns to attack houses, farms and forests in Idlib.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said "armed terrorist groups" attacked a bus driver in Hama province.

CNN cannot independently confirm the claims because the government has repeatedly denied requests for journalists to report inside Syria.

More than 2,600 people have died in Syria since mid-March, when demonstrations critical of government were met with a fierce security crackdown.

CNN's Tracy Doueiry contributed to this report

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