Syrians flee 'massacres' in Baniyas and al-Bayda
BBC News online - 4 May 2013
Jim Muir in Lebanon reports: "Activist groups gave the names of 50 people who they said were butchered in al-Bayda"
Hundreds
of Syrians have fled coastal areas where activists accuse government
forces of carrying out massacres in a campaign of sectarian cleansing.
Activists said at least 77 people - 20 from the same family - were killed, a day after 72 died in nearby al-Bayda.
The government said it had fought back "terrorist groups" and restored peace and security to the area.
Analysis
It's hard to know whether these atrocities are part of a plan of some sort, or simply part of the ebb and flow of action and reaction as the struggle for control of Syria intensifies.
What activists omit to say is that there was fighting in the area before the village of al-Bayda was overrun by government forces and militia on Thursday.
Some activist footage posted on the internet shows men in military fatigues with walkie-talkies (presumably rebel fighters) milling round in streets strewn with the bodies of young men who look as though they are the victims of summary executions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were clashes there and soldiers were killed before army and militia forces finally stormed in. That in no way justifies the apparent massacre of women and children. But there is a distinction between brutal reaction, and spontaneous execution of a cold-blooded plan to displace the Sunni population.
The accusation levelled by opposition leaders, reportedly including the Chief of Staff of the Free Syrian Army, General Selim Idris, is that this was part of a campaign of sectarian cleansing ordered from the top, in preparation for the establishment of some kind of Alawite entity.
It's impossible to know whether there is such a plan. But on the ground, events seem to be bringing about an unscrambling of populations, as happened during the years of civil war in neighbouring Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israel has said its warplanes carried out an air strike on Syria targeting weapons heading to Lebanon's Hezbollah.
It is the second time this year that the Israelis have carried out such strikes.Activists have reported two massacres in two days in the coastal area of central Syria.
They say the first was at the Sunni village of al-Bayda, which was overrun by regime forces on Thursday.
Activists groups have named 72 people they say were massacred in al-Bayda, some of them women and children.
Now they are reporting similar scenes at the Ras al-Nabaa quarter of the nearby coastal town of Baniyas, where they say at least 77 people died.
They have posted gruesome video clips to back up their claims.
Foreign news organisations are severely restricted in Syria, so accounts and videos from activists are difficult to verify.
The BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the clips show the bloodied and tangled bodies of women and children, some of them mutilated or partly incinerated.
Hundreds of families are reported to have fled Baniyas southwards towards the city of Tartus, but activists say they have been blocked from taking shelter there.
Syrian TV reports on army operations along the coast, but claims they were to "drive back terrorists"
Our correspondent says there is clearly a strong sectarian dimension to the reported actions.
The operation is also being seen as a sign of President Bashar al-Assad's determination to fight on and consolidate his government's position.
Mr Assad made a public appearance on Saturday at Damascus University, state media reports.
It broadcast showed footage of him unveiling a statue honouring "martyred students", surrounded by bodyguards and crowds of people.
International efforts to tackle the violence have recently focused on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the regime.
US President Barack Obama has described such actions as a "red line", but he said on Friday that he did not envisage a situation where US troops would be sent to Syria.
The US has floated the idea in recent weeks of arming the rebel forces.
Previous mass killings
- Apr 2011: More than 70 protesters killed as security forces fire on crowds in Deraa and Damascus
- Dec 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
- Aug 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
Analysts say the US and its
allies are also discussing action including air strikes to enforce a
no-fly zone, but Syria's ally Russia is strongly opposed to such
measures.
"We strongly condemn atrocities against the civilian population and reinforce our solidarity with the Syrian people," it added.
"As the Assad regime's violence against innocent civilians escalates, we will not lose sight of the men, women, and children whose lives are being so brutally cut short.
"Those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of human rights law must be held accountable."
Labels: Atrocities, Conflict, Revolution, Syria
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, May 04, 2013
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