The death toll in a government security crackdown in northern Syrian town has risen to 38, with 28 people dead on Sunday alone, according to the AFP news agency.

The operation is part of a crackdown that has been continuing since Saturday, when 10 people died, said a human rights group.

Rami Abdul-Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based independent rights group, said on Sunday that the deaths in the town of Jisr al-Shughour included six policemen. These figures have not been independently verified.

Security forces also shot dead two protesters in the eastern city of Deir Azzour on Sunday after mourners angered by the killing of a 14-year-old set fire to two Baath Party buildings, residents said.

Human rights groups say more than 1,200 people have died in the military action against anti-government protesters since March.

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has coupled military operations with symbolic overtures towards the opposition, including a general amnesty and a call for national dialogue.