Syrian media reports indicate that special forces have killed more than 360 people in uprisings staged across the country during the first half of Ramadan, reports Ria Novosti.

According to the Russian publication, Syrian authorities intensified their efforts specifically because of the holy month of Ramadan, fearing that protesters would organize and plan while attending mosques for daily prayers.

Most recently, 36 people were killed and 100 people were wounded in Latakia. Witnesses claimed that authorities prevented the casualties from seeking medical assistance without approval from police officers stationed in the port city.

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad told United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that he had halted military and police operations against dissidents. However, local activists reported that protesters had been killed and raids continued, despite Al-Assad's assertion.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration has publicly denounced the Syrian president, reports Al-Arabiya. In a statement to reporters at the State Department after meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged international allies to cut ties with Al-Assad's government.

“We urge those countries still buying Syrian oil and gas, those countries still sending Assad weapons, those countries whose political and economic support give him comfort in his brutality, to get on the right side of history,” she told reporters.

Clinton pointed out that imposing sanctions requires Syria's major trading partners to follow suit. “We want to see Europe take more steps in that direction. And we want to see China take steps with us,” she continued, referring to China's energy dealings with the Arab country and Russia's sale of arms to Damascus.

Although both Russia and China have refrained from openly condemning Syria, she acknowledged their support for a UN Security Council statement denouncing the security crackdown.

In an interview with CBS Evening News, Secretary Clinton was asked why the US had not officially called for Al-Assad's resignation. However, Al-Jazeera reports that soon after, the Obama administration took an aggressive public stance against Al-Assad's regime.

“The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way ... For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside,” said President Barack Obama in a statement released on August 18.

Although he acknowledged that the US cannot impose a political regime change, he asserted that it will support pro-democracy activists. While Syrians “have spoken with their peaceful marches,” Obama pointed out, the government “has responded with a sustained onslaught.” He condemned the violence and brutality marking the government's response to internal dissidents.

US intelligence agencies are also investigating the government's targeting of expatriate dissidents, reports Abeer Tayel at Al-Arabiya. A report at The Wall Street Journal indicated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating an allegation that Syrian diplomats are attempting to intimidate expatriates by locating their relatives and arresting them. The Obama administration maintained that it had “credible” evidence to back the allegation that President Al-Assad is using embassy reports to target the activists living overseas.

“They want to intimidate us wherever we are,” said Hazem Hallak, a Syrian-American scientist living in Philadelphia. He reported that his brother Sakher was tortured and killed in May by Syrian intelligence officers soon after returning from a conference in the US. Hallak asserted that although his brother was not involved in organizing protests and other anti-regime activities, the government tracked Sakher's movements in the US.

Other Syrian-Americans claimed that Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha and staffers at the embassy have threatened them. The State Department responded by rebuking Mustapha after receiving reports that staffers were conducting surveillance of people participating in peaceful demonstrations throughout the US. The department also imposed travel restrictions on Ambassador Mustapha, Syrian diplomats, and their families.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders and American supporters -- including Hussain Abdul Hussain of Kalimah Institute, Fouad Ajami of the Hoover Institute and former CIA director James Woolsey -- are attempting to put the squeeze on President Obama, urging him to recall US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford.

According to James Morrison at The Washington Times, the group signed a letter addressed to President Obama. “Recall Ambassador Robert Ford from Damascus unless he is clearly charged with aiding the transition to democracy in Syria,” they wrote. “We urge you to grasp this opportunity and increase your administration’s efforts to ensure that the brave people taking to the streets in Syria are soon able to enjoy the fruits of freedom that we in the West hold so dear.”

However, the White House announced that it had no plans to recall Ford from his position. “We need to have him there,” said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council.