Four killed in Syrian crackdown

Syrian forces attacked a central town and stormed parts of an eastern city, killing at least four people in fresh fighting as President Bashar Assad’s government struggled to crush a five-month-old uprising, activists said.

The attacks on the central town of Houleh in the Homs province and Deir el-Zour in the east early today came a day after the country’s foreign minister looked to allay protests demanding reforms by announcing that free parliamentary elections would be held by the end of the year.