A Kurdish activist , a member of the opposition Syria National Council , is slain . At least eight other deaths are reported in violence in Syria Friday . - : The Syrian government says it has captured an area near Damascus that includes several towns and villages where rebels have been holed up for months. A prominent Kurdish opposition leader was shot dead Friday in a brazen assault that came as protesters across the country demonstrated for his fledgling anti-regime movement , activists said . Russia 's Medvedev says the Syrian regime must make reforms .
A Kurdish activist , a member of the opposition Syria National Council , is slain . At least eight other deaths are reported in violence in Syria Friday . - : The Syrian government says it has captured an area near Damascus that includes several towns and villages where rebels have been holed up for months. Russia 's Medvedev says the Syrian regime must make reforms .