Tweet   Officials in Damascus resort to farcical denials, creative accounts after more than 30 people killed in Syria protests; eyewitnesses say security forces mow down stone throwers, fire at protestors after Assad photo ripped Published: 03.25.11 As protests across Syria continue to grow, prompting increasingly violent clashes and a mounting death toll, local officials insist on dismissing the reports while providing their own creative accounts of the situation.   On Friday, violent clashes were reported in several Syrian cities, with more than 30 protestors shot to death by security forces in Deraa, Damascus, Latakia and Sanamein. Despite the reports, Syrian officials continued to present their own questionable version for Friday’s events. The situation in the country is calm, al-Arabiya television quoted Syria's information minister as saying on Friday, as the protests spread. "The situation is completely calm in all parts of the country," the television station quoted Information Minister Muhsin Bilal as saying. It was not clear when he was speaking. Meanwhile, an official source claimed that an "armed gang" attacked headquarters of the people's army in the town of Sanamein, south of the capital Damascus, in an attempt to storm it, Syrian news agency Sana reported. "The headquarters' guards confronted the gang and the clash resulted in the deaths of several attackers, the source said," Sana reported. "He added that security forces will continue pursuing armed gangs that terrorize civilians and inhabitants and try to tamper with the security of the country and citizens." Troops mow down stone throwers According to different eyewitness accounts at odds with official Syrian reports troops who opened fire at protestors over ripped photos of President Bashar Assad and the stoning of soldiers. A resident of Sanamein told al-Jazeera told that more the 20 people died in the southern city after troops opened f...