14 Syrian prisoners killed by roadside bombs

A roadside attack killed at least 14 today in Syria as violence continued in a country that awaits an Arab League report from a mission that ended Thursday.

SANA, Syria’s official news agency, said an “armed group attacked the car with explosives on two stages,” killing 14 prisoners being transported between Ariha and Idlib.

The clash wounded six police officers, some critically, and an ambulance dispatched to the scene also came under fire, SANA said. It blamed the violence on “an armed terrorist group.”

There is no word on who was responsible. BBC reported 26 prisoners were also injured in the incident, just the latest as violence escalates.

Opposition sources tell BBC six women protesting the attacks died in Idlib, three soldiers were killed near the Turkish border and Syrian forces killed a Lebanese fisherman near the Syrian border on the Mediterranean Sea.

That’s in addition to five deaths elsewhere in the country, BBC said.

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The violence comes as the Arab League debates renewing its mission there, a source told Reuters News Agency. 

A 165-member monitoring team, led by Sudanese Gen. Mohammed al-Dabi, is expected to deliver its report on Sunday in Cairo.

"Yes, there is not complete satisfaction with Syria's cooperation with the monitoring mission," the source said. "But in the absence of any international plan to deal with Syria, the best option is for the monitors to stay.”

The opposition Syrian National Council is asking for United Nations intervention. SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun and other opposition leaders are to also meet with the Arab League in Egypt.

"The SNC delegation will demand that the Syrian case be referred to the UN Security Council for a resolution to establish a safe zone and impose a no-fly zone in Syria," the SNC said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Since protests against Syrian President Bashar Assad erupted nearly a year ago, more than 5,000 people have died, Associated Press said.

The AP says the Arab League is likely to increase its presence in Syria in an effort to halt the violence.

The Arab League has demanded that Assad removes soldiers from the street, releases detainees, allows safe access for the monitors and media and begins discussions with opposition groups.