Bashar al-Assad loyalists kill 3 in Syria's Homs: Residents

Syrian troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed three people in attacks in the city of Homs on Tuesday, residents said, as a crackdown on pro-democracy protests intensified.

"There are troops and armoured vehicles in every neighbourhood. The irregular forces with them are death squads. They have been firing indiscriminately since dawn with rifles and machineguns. No one can leave their homes," one resident told Reuters by phone.

The Syrian authorities have expelled most foreign journalists, making it hard to verify witness accounts or official statements.

Troops and tanks first entered Homs, a city of one million people 165 km (100 miles) north of Damascus, two months ago and occupied the main square after large protests demanding political freedoms and an end to Assad's rule.

The Syrian National Human Rights Organisation said seven people were killed over the weekend in attacks by security forces.

Residents and activists told Reuters another 10 people were killed on Monday.

The three deaths reported in Homs' Bab Amr neighbourhood on Tuesday brought the total death count since the weekend to at least 20, activists and residents said.

Syrian authorities blame armed groups with Islamist links for the violence and say at least 500 policemen and soldiers have been killed since March.