UN raises death toll in Syria unrest to 2,900

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Beginning of Story Content The UN's human rights office has raised its tally of people killed during seven months of unrest in Syria to over 2,900. A man holds a sign that reads "Death Instead of Humiliation" during a protest march against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad organized by the Syrian minority in Bucharest on Sept. 2. (Radu Sigheti/Reuters)A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday the figure is based on "reliable sources" inside and outside the country. Rupert Colville said the names of the dead have all been confirmed and likely include some members of the security forces. The figure represents an increase of at least 200 since the beginning of September. Since mid-March, Bashar Assad's regime in Syria has cracked down on protesters leading movements similar <a href="http://www.the-tods.com/rayban-c-18.html"><strong>lunettes de soleil de star </strong></a> to those that have ousted other Arab autocrats this year. The UN's announcement Thursday comes two days after Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Canada is toughening and expanding its sanctions against Syria. The new sanctions freeze the assets of 27 more people and 12 entities in the country. The expanded measures include travel restrictions, and a prohibition on dealings with members of the regime and those who provide it with support.Troops storm villagesOn the ground in Syria on Thursday, Syrian troops stormed villages close to the border with Turkey, hunting armed military defectors who fought back in clashes that left at least <a href="http://www.the-tods.com"><strong>tod's chaussures shop </strong></a> four soldiers and three others dead, activists said. The fighting in the country's restive northern region of Jabal al-Zawiya, where Syrian military defectors are active, was the latest sign of a trend toward growing militarization of the uprising. The Syrian opposition had until recently focused on non-violent resistance. But since late July, a group calling itself the Free Syrian Army has claimed attacks across the country and emerged as the first significant armed challenge to Assad's regime. The opposition has mostly welcomed the armed group's formation, and the movement could propel the Syrian revolt by encouraging senior officers to desert the regime. But the escalation could also backfire horribly, giving the regime a new pretext to crack down even harder than it already has. The sectarian divide in Syria, where a regime composed mostly of <a href="http://www.the-tods.com/tods-c-20.html?zenid=4637e7dbcf915b9e683dbdda6ef0e4bd"><s trong>tod's soldes </strong></a> the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam rules over Sunnis and others, also means that any insurgency could escalate quickly into civil war. With files from CBC News Accessibility Links