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30 September 2011 Last updated at 15:34 GMT 
Homs province has been one of the focal points of anti-government demonstrations Heavy clashes have broken out between the Syrian army and opposition activists in central Homs province, as anti-government protests continue.
In Rastan, seven soldiers and police were reportedly killed fighting troops who had defected to the opposition.
Activists said at least one civilian was killed by security forces in Hama.
Thousands of people took to the streets after Friday prayers across Syria, in a fresh wave of dissent against President Bashar al-Assad.
Correspondents say the demonstrations, which began peacefully six months ago, are becoming increasingly violent as protesters grow frustrated at the lack of any tangible reform.
Earlier, the US condemned an attack on US ambassador Robert Ford, who was pelted with stones and tomatoes by a mob in the capital, Damascus, on Thursday, ahead of a meeting with an opposition figure.
US officials said the mob was violent and seriously damaged embassy vehicles, but that Mr Ford was unharmed. There are no plans to withdraw the ambassador, officials said.
'Restoring security'
State news agency Sana quoted a military spokesman as saying that seven soldiers and members of law-enforcement agencies had been killed in Rastan, among them two officers, while 32 others were wounded.
"In a specific operation, the army units have successfully fulfilled their duties, arresting a number of the armed groups' members, seizing their weapons, explosives and different ammunitions," he said.
"The army members are pursuing the terrorist groups to restore security and stability to Rastan and its citizens," he said.
Reports from Rastan, a town of 40,000, indicate that army defectors have been fighting government forces to protect the protesters.
Correspondents say Syrian security forces have mostly remained loyal to President Assad, but deserters have formed their own units around Rastan, 180km (120 miles) north of Damascus, regarded as a recruiting ground for Sunni Muslim conscripts for the army.
The military is dominated by officers from the minority Alawite sect, of whom the Assad family are members, but most troops are Sunnis.
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Lyse Doucet BBC News, Damascus The mood outside the mosque in Barzeh after Friday prayers was tense as people milled around us. The first man to speak up, spoke loudly, insisting 'Syrians should be given a chance to talk together, not fight!"
Others whispered to us that he wasn't from this neighbourhood. "He's from intelligence," some said. Several men brushed past, speaking in hushed tones: "Sorry, we can't talk."
Another passed us a crumpled bit of paper with the words "thank you but no one can meet you because the army is in the street, and all people are afraid of them."
Soldiers stood guard nearby. Men wearing shirts of their favourite football teams then moved in, telling people to leave.
With a smile towards us, they shouted in Arabic "Bashar Ou Bas" (Bashar Only) referring to their president.
The government gave us permission today to visit a few mosques in Damascus including the grand Umayyad where the mood was peaceful.
Residents in Rastan told Reuters news agency at least 1,000 army deserters and other armed men were fighting the government forces.UK-based opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one person has been killed in the central city of Hama in Friday's violence, adding to six killed on Thursday, activists said.
"People seriously wounded in Rastan were unable to receive medical care because of the continuing military operations," the group said.
Resolution watered downThousands of protesters came out onto the streets after prayers on Friday in several cities including the capital, Damascus.
"Oh God, give victory to Syria and Yemen, Oh God... let [Yemeni President Ali Abdullah] Saleh and Bashar fall," they chanted as they emerged from mosques in Damascus.
In the northern province of Idlib, a sign proclaimed "Rastan is the bastion of free men, despite you, Bashar", Reuters reports.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones on the Syrian-Lebanese border says that when the protest movement began in Syria, opposition activists stressed that theirs was a peaceful protest movement determined to use non-violent methods to overthrow the government of President Assad.
But, he says, after six months the tactic has produced only promises of reform from the government.
That has led some in the opposition to argue that to achieve change they need to use more force, our correspondent says.
Speaking on Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the attack on Ambassador Ford was "unwarranted" and praised Mr Ford's "admirable courage" as a "vital advocate for the legitimate aspirations" of the Syrian people.
Mr Ford was targeted outside the office of opposition figure Hassan Abdul Azim, who heads the outlawed Arab Socialist Democratic Union party.
Meanwhile, diplomats in New York watered down a UN resolution condemning the violence in Syria, removing a reference to a recommendation made by UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay that the council should consider referring Syrian authorities to the International Criminal Court.
Russia has however said it will not back the latest version, Reuters reports.
The UN estimates that more than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began.
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