LEAD: Syrian troops pound dissident areas, 56 dead

Feb 9, 2012, 15:56 GMT

Beirut - Syrian government forces on Thursday intensified their attacks on several dissident areas, reportedly killing at least 56 people, despite sharp international condemnation.

The onslaught targeted the central province of Homs, mainly its restive district of Baba Amr, said opposition activists.

Omar Homsi, a Syrian activist based in Baba Amr, told dpa by satellite phone: 'At least 40 people died in the shelling that began at dawn (Thursday) in Baba Amr.' He said most of the bodies 'were burned beyond recognition.'

According to him, government forces used rocket launchers and phosphoric bombs in their attack on the districts of Baba Amr, al- Khaidiyeh and al-Bayyada in Homs.

Ten people were killed in the area of Zabadani near the capital Damascus, said activists, and six others were killed in Reef Damascus on the outskirts of the capital.

At a news conference in Stockholm, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'It really is appalling to see the destruction of Homs. It is quite clear that this is a regime that is hell bent on killing, murdering and maiming its own citizens.'

Germany has expelled four Syrian diplomats, two days after the arrest of two men on suspicion of spying on exiled Syrian dissidents in Germany.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said, 'On Monday I ordered the Syrian ambassador summoned to the Foreign Ministry to be clearly told yet again that any action conducted by the Syrian state against Syrian dissidents in Germany will not be tolerated.'

The move drew praise from the opposition Syrian National Council. Naji Tayyara, the head of the its foreign affairs department, told dpa from Dubai: 'We highly welcome this move, which will give our activists and opposition members a margin of protection.'

'We call on all other countries to follow the example of the German government and monitor the movements of the Syrian diplomatic missions,' he added.

Westerwelle also called for the United Nations to appoint a special envoy for the Syrian conflict.

Human Rights Watch, citing Syrian monitoring groups, said Thursday that since February 3, the attacks in Homs have killed more than 300 people.

'This brutal assault on residential neighbourhoods shows the Syrian authorities' contempt for the lives of their citizens in Homs,' said Anna Neistat, the associate emergencies director at the New York-based group.