DAMASCUS, Syria, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Syrian government forces killed at least 16 people Friday, raising concerns the government would not abide by an agreement to halt violence, a report said.
The New York Times reported opposition groups said six people were killed in the western city of Homs, four in Hama, north of Homs, four in towns southwest of Damascus and one in the suburbs of the capital city. Two people who were not protesting also were killed while trying to flee across the border to Jordan, activists said.
"Some residents are not leaving their homes because they know they might not make it back," said a Homs resident who gave his name as Selim.
Friday's violence came a day after opposition groups said 25 civilians were killed by government forces.
Some observers said the violence casts doubt on the Syrian government's commitment to an Arab League plan to halt the violence. The plan, which Syria agreed to, calls for the government to end violence against protesters, pull tanks and armored vehicles off the streets and release political protesters, which the league estimates total about 70,000.
If the government heeds the agreement, the league said it would open dialogue between the government and the opposition.
"The continuing repression can only strengthen the international community's doubts about the Syrian regime's sincerity to implement the Arab League peace plan," said Romain Nadal, deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry.
How Syrian troops responded to anti-government protests Friday was seen as a test of whether the regime of President Bashar Assad would live up to its commitments in the Arab League pact, an opposition leader said.
The official Syrian news agency, SANA, said no one had been killed Friday, the Times said.
The United Nations estimates more than 3,000 people have died in Syria since anti-government protests began in March.
