Syrian troops have continued to shell rebel strongholds in Homs, with at least eight people dying in the onslaught and eight more killed across the country. That's according to activists and monitors.

Syrians attend a mass funeral for people whom anti-government protesters said were killed by the shelling in Al Qasseer city, near Homs, March 23, 2012.

The bombardment has lasted several days now, and appears to be the groundwork for an assault to push fighters out of the country's third largest city. Amateur video footage appearing online shows smoke billowing from several areas in the city centre amid sounds of explosions. A resident says at one point, the area is being hit at an average of four shells an hour. Homs has been one of the cities the hardest hit by the government crackdown on the uprising over the past year.

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