Troops open fire as protests explode across Syria

Troops open fire as protests explode across Syria

By ZEINA KARAM and BASSEM MROUE , 03.25.11, 05:51 PM EDT

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Troops opened fire on protesters in cities across Syria and pro- and anti-government crowds clashed in the capital's historic old city as one of the Mideast's most repressive regimes sought to put down demonstrations that exploded nationwide Friday demanding reform.

The upheaval sweeping the region definitively took root in Syria as an eight-day uprising centered on a rural southern town dramatically expanded into protests by tens of thousands in multiple cities. The once-unimaginable scenario posed the biggest challenge in decades to Syria's iron-fisted rule.