A tenuous truce went into effect in Syria on Friday, October 26, after the government and the rebel Free Syrian Army said they will observe a four-day ceasefire to coincide with a major Muslim holiday, The Washington Post reported. But reports of scattered gunfire and clashes near the northern town of Maarat Numan cast into doubt the likelihood that the truce would last even beyond the first day. In one incident, three anti-government protesters were injured after security forces opened fire to prevent citizens from demonstrating as they emerged from a mosque, according to opposition activists. Encouraged by the government’s promise to cease fire, protesters surged onto the streets in numerous towns and cities to stage anti-government demonstrations, in a reminder of the early days of the initially peaceful 19-month old uprising against President Bashar Assad.