Violence raged across Syria as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held talks with Damascus on the humanitarian situation in the country.

Activists based in Lebanon told the AFP news agency that security forces killed 12 people on Sunday, in northwestern and central Syria.

Meanwhile, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported that "an armed terrorist gang" had ambushed a bus in the center if the country, killing 12 soldiers.

The reports came as ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger met Syrian Foreign Minister Walis al-Moallem, urging the Syrian government to ensure that sick and injured on all sides in the conflict were able to receive medical help.

Kellenberger is in the country on a two-day visit, which is also set to include talks with President Bashad al-Assad and is expected to focus on ICRC's access to detainees in Syrian prisons.

Signs of torture on bodies

Local human rights groups say the bodies of people detained since anti-government protests began in March had been returned to their families with signs that they had been tortured.

Ahead of the visit, the ICRC said that "ensuring the sick and wounded have access to care will be among the particularly urgent humanitarian challenges to be addressed."

Syrian Foreign Minister al-Moallem said that the country's public hospitals were "on standby and ready to provide the required medical services for all the citizens," according to the SANA news agency.

Syrian troops stepped up operations in parts of the country including Baba Amr, in the central province of Homs, on Sunday. Activists said a random shooting in Baba Amr had left at least 15 people wounded.

Arab League to table initiative

Protesters have been calling for greater freedom, political reforms and the toppling of Assad since March. At least 2,200 have died since the protests began, according to UN estimates, and the government has been accused of a brutally violent crackdown.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said on Sunday that his proposal to visit and broker an Arab initiative to end the unrest had been welcomed by Damascus. "The date of the visit will be set this week," al-Arabi said.

Arab League foreign ministers had agreed on an "urgent mission" to tout the initiative at an emergency meeting on August 26.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Nancy Isenson