DAMASCUS - Activist says around 79 people were killed Sunday in several Syrian cities in clashes with security forces, as army troops in tanks swept into some cities at dawn Sunday.  

Abdul-Karim al-Rihawi, head of the Syrian League for Human Rights, told Xinhua by phone that 62 civilians were killed by security forces' gunfire in the central province of Hama, which has witnessed raids by the army at dawn Sunday.

He said 12 people were killed in clashes with security forces in the northeastern province of Deir al-Zour, adding that other civilian was killed in al-Bukamal city, which is close to Deir al- Zour.

Al-Rihawi said that four people were killed by security gunfire in the southern province of Daraa, the epicenter of protests.

"The Syrian government seems to resort the security handling to the crisis instead of the political one," said al-Rihawi.

The report, however, could not be independently verified as there is no official comment yet.

Meanwhile, the official SANA news agency reported that at least two law-enforcement members were gunned down Sunday by gunmen in the violence-hit province of Hama.

Gunmen have torched police stations, smashed public and private properties, erected barricades and sand barriers and set tires ablaze in Hama, said Sana, adding that army units are now working to eliminate barriers and barricades.

Quoting residents, Sana said tens of gunmen stationed atop buildings' roofs holding guns and rocket-propelled grenades and fire heavily at residents to terrorize them.

In a related development, Sana said "armed terrorist" groups had targeted with guns Saturday a passenger bus at al-Hawlah region between Homs and Hama in central Syria, killing a woman and wounding nine passengers, some of them in a serious condition.

Quoting a security source, Sana said the bus was heading from the capital Damascus to Messyaf region near Homs with 34 passengers aboard when it came under the fire of masked gunmen.

The source said the gunmen held the passengers for nearly two hours before security forces attacked the militants and free the hostages.

In Deir al-Zour, Sana said armed groups at the northeastern province of Deir al-Zour have cut off road and erected barriers in the city's streets, adding that law-enforcement forces have engaged those groups and hunted them down.

Syria has been in unrest since mid March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities. The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy" and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.