Mr Makan quoted eyewitnesses as saying she appeared to have been targeted deliberately by "paramilitaries in civilian clothing".

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The four, who were in civilian clothing, were on their way home for a short vacation when they were kidnapped, they said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

It has underpinned its friendships with other regimes excoriated in the West: pre-division Sudan, for example, or Myanmar's junta before it donned civilian clothing and gave charm a chance.

ECONOMIST: Banyan

Many activists said they were concerned that the prevalence of snipers, often men in civilian clothing who are difficult to identify as either government forces or armed civilians, would feed to the Arab League monitors the government narrative that it is battling armed groups rather than unarmed protesters.

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