Syria death toll 16, Aleppo sees first killing-group

(Reuters) - Security forces shot dead 16 protesters at several demonstrations across Syria on Friday demanding the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, a main activists' group coordinating protests said.

The deaths included the first protester to be killed in Syria's second city, the commercial hub of Aleppo, the Local Coordination Committees said in a statement.

Aleppo, a mostly Sunni city with significant minorities and a rich merchant class with close links to the Alawite ruling hierarchy, had been largely free of protests, except at its university campus and on the outskirts, during the three month uprising.