Syria forces storm new towns, kill 14

Syrian forces killed at least 14 people yesterday while the army stormed another two towns in pursuit of anti-regime protesters, defying Western calls for action after a "chilling" UN Security Council briefing.
Meanwhile, the United States, after weeks of hesitation, has finally decided to call explicitly for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down amid broadening pressure to staunch the bloodshed.
The announcement, which US officials said is expected as early as Thursday, would come as President Barack Obama's administration presses for tougher international sanctions on a regime bent on crushing a pro-democracy movement.
"The United States is looking to explicitly call for Assad to step down. The timing of that is still in question," a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
"It's part of steps to increase the pressure given the ongoing brutality of the Assad regime."
Yesterday's killings occurred soon after columns of tanks entered the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs early yesterday, sending residents fleeing into the fields, rights activist there said.
"The security forces opened fire on residents who tried to flee to the Al-Basateen district, killing at least five" one activist told AFP in Nicosia, adding later that the death toll rose to fourteen.