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They frequently work closely with soldiers and security forces, but the regime never acknowledges their existence, allowing it to deny responsibility for their actions. A Syrian official on Tuesday again denied any involement. "It is irrational that any party who wants to make Annan's mission a success would ever commit such a massacre," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told reporters Tuesday. He said Syria remained committed to Annan's plan and "had not committed a single violation." Activists have posted videos of tanks and armored vehicles in the middle of cities, a violation of the plan, and U.N. observers said they found spent tank and artillery shells in Houla after the massacre there. Funeral videos have also shown local rebels among the mourners
-- making it unlikely they carried out the killings. Anti-regime rebels around the country regularly attack military convoys and checkpoints, killing soldiers. Syria is a vital geopolitical linchpin, and there are fears that the unrest will lead to a broader regional conflict. Already, the violence has seeped outside Syria's borders over the past several months. On Tuesday, 17 Syrians reportedly wounded in clashes in northern Syria crossed into Turkey, where one died in a Turkish hospital, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said. Two others died before reaching the Turkish border, it said. In Lebanon, gunfire from a Syrian border post killed one Lebanese citizen and wounded five others, Lebanon's state news agency said. Syria's unrest began in March 2011, with protests calling for political change. Government troops swiftly cracked down at the uprising spread, and many in the opposition have taken up arms to defend their towns and attack government troops.
[Associated
Press;
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