The violence occurred as thousands of villagers across Syria rallied to show support for residents of the southern border city of Daraa who have been living under siege since government forces attacked earlier this week.

The Syrian unrest, which began in Daraa in March after teens were arrested for scribbling anti-government graffiti, escalated in recent days after demonstrators emboldened by weeks of protests called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

The human rights group Syrian Human Rights Information Link said 64 demonstrators were killed on April 29 by Syrian forces in violence across the country.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, said four soldiers were killed and two others were kidnapped when "an armed terrorist group raided a military point in Daraa" on April 29.

Security forces would not allow residents in Daraa to attend prayers and snipers were stationed on rooftops, according to witnesses. Bloated bodies remained uncollected in the streets, their relatives afraid to retrieve them, they said. Shortages of water, power, electricity and food were common complaints.