Syria conflict: 'Dozens executed' in village
BBC News online -- 3 May 2013
This picture provided by activists purports to show Syrian soldiers at the scene of the killings
More than 40 people have been killed by government forces in a village in north-western Syria, activists say.
An online video appears to show seven bodies in pools of blood, but state media made no mention of any incidents.
The main opposition group accused the government of a "large-scale massacre".
"It is time for the world to intervene and put an end to the grievous crimes of the Assad regime," the National Coalition said in a statement.
The BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon that the alleged incident highlights the sectarian nature of Syria's conflict, as the minority Alawite-dominated government struggles for survival against an uprising rooted in the majority Sunni community.
On Friday, the Syrian Observatory, a UK-based activist group that monitors human rights violations on both sides of the conflict via a network of contacts, said the army was bombarding Sunni areas in Baniyas.
'House-to-house searches'
The killings were carried out by government troops, supported by pro-government militiamen known as "shabiha", it added.
"Dozens of civilians from al-Bayda have gone missing, and we don't know whether they have been arrested, killed or fled," said the group's director, Rami Abdul Rahman.
"Many villagers have fled to Sunni districts in southern Baniyas, as there is no refuge for them in Alawite areas."
Syria conflict: Previous mass killings
- April 2011: More than 70 protesters killed as security forces fire on crowds in Deraa and Damascus
- December 2011: Activists say more than 100 army defectors killed over two days in Idlib province
- May 2012: Some 108 killed in Houla, near Homs - UN later blames Syrian troops and militia
- August 2012: Witnesses and activists say at least 300 killed as government forces storm Darayya, a Damascus suburb
- Jan 2013: At least 100 people killed and burned in their homes in Haswiya, near Homs
Mr Abdul Rahman said troops were
still in al-Bayda on Friday, conducting house-to-house searches.
Telephone and internet services to the village had been cut, he added,
making it difficult to verify reports.
The Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam, and Mr Assad's government is allied to both the Shia rulers of Iran and the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, whose fighters have been active within Syria.
Our correspondent says another incident likely to fuel sectarian tensions has been reported on Facebook - the desecration of a shrine near Damascus for a revered figure among Shias, Hujr Bin Adi.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Damascus on Friday, state media reported that rebels fired two rockets at the international airport.
The report said the rockets damaged a commercial aircraft and set a fuel depot on fire before the blaze was brought under control.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama said the US would look at all options to end the conflict in Syria. US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, said Washington was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels.
Mr Obama said he would not rush into a decision, and wanted to ensure action did not make the situation in Syria more deadly or complex.
More than 70,000 people have died over the last two years in Syria, according to the UN. More than a million have fled the country, with millions more displaced internally.
Labels: Conflict, Islamism, Revolution, Security, Syria, United States
posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 03, 2013
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