In Syria town, protesters and army play cat and mouse (a good short read)

"Soldiers with sniper rifles line building tops in Duma, near Damascus, following the movement below. Down the street, locals position defenses: flaming barricades of trash, rocks and garbage cans."

"Small groups of residents make their way to the edge of Duma's main avenue: the "kill zone," well within range of the rooftop snipers. Men huddle at the doorway of the central mosque, planning their exit, fearful of being shot at as they leave. The chants and encouraging calls of the protesters grow louder until, mustering courage, the men leap out in groups, hurling themselves across the avenue and into the relative safety of the alley opposite to join the protesting crowd.

The armed forces seem on edge; the first protesting voices, just 10 or so people, are enough to prompt gunfire. Ten yards from the mosque, a middle-aged man steps out of his shop onto the street. A bullet hisses by, just above his head, smacking into the wall of the store. He jumps back inside. Their adrenaline high, shouting "Freedom!" at the top of their lungs, people swell the crowds in the alleys. Soon each tributary to the central avenue has groups of 100 men or more, shouting. Some keep their identities hidden with balaclavas or by painting their faces with the colors and pattern of the pre-regime Syrian flag."