Members of the Syrian community in Bucharest protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on September 2, 2011, in Bucharest, Romania. Hundreds of people, mainly Syrians, took to the streets of Romania on September 2nd to protest against the Assad's regime. – AFP Photo

NICOSIA: Security forces cracking down on democracy protesters killed 12 people on Sunday during operations in several towns in northwestern and central Syria, activists said.

Omar Idlibi, spokesman of the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) which groups anti-regime activists on the ground, said a woman was among the 12 people killed, in various operations by security forces.

In an earlier toll, the LCC said four civilians were killed in security operations.

Idlibi said “four martyrs fell in Karnaz near the (central) town of Maharda” while the others, including the woman, were killed in Idlib province.

“Two martyrs fell in Khan Sheikhwan, three in Tahtaya, one in Jabala and a woman died from gunshots in Saraqeb as the security forces carried out security operations,” Idlibi said about districts in Idlib.

“Another person was killed when security forces opened fire on a bus in the city of Idlib.”

He said the operations in Idlib were aimed at tracking an attorney general who announced in a disputed video message on Wednesday that he was quitting to protest the deaths and arrests of protesters and dissidents.

Meanwhile the official news agency SANA quoted a military source saying that six troops, including an officer, and three civilians were killed when an “armed terrorist group” fired on a bus in Maharda on Sunday.

Three assailants were also killed when the troops pursued the gunmen.