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AFP - Getty Images
Syrian women show their distress after entering a makeshift morgue containing the bodies of mainly women and children in Bab al-Sebaa, a neighborhood in the restive city of Homs, in a handout picture made available by a Syrian opposition group Monday.
Dozens of civilians were killed in cold blood in the Syrian city of Homs, opposition activists and Syrian state media said on Monday, although they disputed responsibility for what both sides called a massacre.
The carnage in Homs, as well as a military assault on the northwestern city of Idlib, coincided with a weekend peace mission by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who left Damascus Sunday without agreement on a truce or humanitarian access.
"The terrorist armed groups have kidnapped scores of civilians in the city of Homs, central Syria, killed, and mutilated their corpses and filmed them to be shown by media outlets," state news agency SANA said on its website.
Footage posted by opposition activists on YouTube showed men, women and children lying dead in a blood-drenched room.
The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists, said at least 45 women and children had been stabbed and burned in the Homs district of Karm al-Zeitoun.
It said another seven people were slain in the city's Jobar district, which adjoins the former rebel bastion of Baba Amr.
At least 31 anti-government activists were killed Friday after dozens of tanks fired mortar shells in rebel-controlled territories around Syria. Msnbc's Thomas Roberts talks to NBC's Richard Engel.
Activists contacted in Homs accused Alawite militiamen loyal to President Bashar Assad of carrying out the killings under the protection of regular Syrian military forces.
BBC News reported that Mulham al-Jundi, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council, said the district of Karm el-Zeitoun was being hit by a bombardment similar to the one experienced by Baba Amr recently.
Al-Jundi added that Assad’s troops were firing rockets, then going in "and killing the families who stay inside these areas."
'Why is this going on?'
American journalist Marie Colvin, who was among those killed in Baba Amr, was due to be laid to rest in the Long Island community of her childhood where she first decided to become a reporter.
A funeral was scheduled to be held Monday at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church in Oyster Bay, N.Y., for the journalist, who worked for the U.K.'s Sunday Times newspaper and was killed while covering the slaughter of Syrian civilians.
War reporter Marie Colvin, photojournalist Remi Ochlik killed in Syria
The 56-year-old Queens native spoke her last words in a television dispatch from a village, while watching a baby boy dying. She said seeing the horror might "move people to think, why is this going on?"
At her wake Sunday, mourners passed by a portrait of Colvin by a Sri Lankan artist. She lost her left eye in 2001 in that country's civil war and wore her signature eye patch since then.
Colvin was killed on Feb. 22 when the building that served as a makeshift media center in the village of Homs was struck by a Syrian army mortar.
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell provides an update on the crisis in Syria as violence in the region continues to escalate. But will the United States inevitably need to intervene?
Only a few hours earlier, she appeared in a final live broadcast with CNN's Anderson Cooper, telling him the Syrians were shelling "a city of cold, starving civilians."
"It's a complete and utter lie that they are only going after terrorists," she added. "There are no military targets here."
The victims were civilians. "Absolutely horrific, a 2-year old child had been hit," Colvin said. "His little tummy just kept heaving until he died."
Syrian government restrictions make it difficult to assess conflicting reports by the authorities and their opponents since a popular uprising against Assad began a year ago.
SANA said the Homs killings reported Monday were "perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups and aired by (satellite TV channels) al-Jazeera and Arabiya ... coincide with today's U.N. Security Council session to call for foreign interference in Syria."
Syria launches fierce attack as UN envoy tries talks
The Security Council holds a special meeting on Arab revolts later Monday and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines.
Russia and China have blocked attempts to pass a Security Council resolution condemning Damascus for its attempts to crush the rebellion, in which the United Nations says well over 7,500 people have been killed. Syrian authorities said in December insurgents had killed over 2,000 soldiers and police.
Syria opposition chief rejects UN peace talks
The United States has drafted a new resolution, but Washington and Paris say they doubt it will be accepted.
China sounded an optimistic note, but gave no details.
"China has actively participated in discussion about this draft resolution, and raised its ideas about revising it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Monday. "We also support the international community playing an active role in a political solution to the Syria issue."
China and Russia, as well as Western and Arab nations, have voiced support for Annan's peace mission, but no common ground has emerged between Assad, who is bent on crushing dissent, and his opponents, who are determined to overthrow him.
"The situation is so bad and so dangerous that all of us cannot afford to fail," Annan said in Damascus Sunday.
Rebels: Four more generals defect from Syrian army
Moscow and Beijing want any international blame for the violence to be apportioned evenly and say both sides should be encouraged to stop fighting. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have taken a hawkish line, calling for the rebels to be armed.
"The regime in Syria is committing a massacre of its own citizens," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle.
Westerwelle said in Riyadh: "We cannot accept the completely unreasonable continuation of the atrocities being perpetrated by the Assad regime against its own people."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Nothing happens without God's say so. So it's all God's plan.
Results are the same regardless of who is the blame, but it does provide a great excuse for certain behaviors. Flip Wilson's Geraldine explained her actions in this manner "The Devil Made Me Do It"
Where one can conclude that it is all the diety's "plan" is pretty lose.. if you acknowledge a GOD then it is likely you should recognize FREE WILL which kinda shoots you assumption in the foot that it all gods plan; Consider that the God you speak of might have "all knowledge" of human behavior but does that presumption necessarily mean GOD has ALL CONTROL?
If one as has all knowledge and knows of all possibilities and outcomes, then one must know that free will would lead to all of this. Kinda like giving your child free will while your away on vacation. You should have an idea of what's going to go down. Thus it's all God's plan.
Only Gods for some "special" are: Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists!
Rest have normal Gods!
"IF", the operative concept as you mention but where is there evidence that God does have all this information, furthermore that the diety has a plan which includes the results already.
In my instance using your leaving the "kids home" example I'll take responsibility for educating them in my expected behavior, but once I leave their presence--the rest is up to them.
To what benefit does "PREDESTINATION" serve us; should we conclude that the world will continue on a path to self destruction or can thinking people effect outcomes.
One might ponder what is the big plan, is going to work today necessary,shall I exhibit compassion to thoes in need, maybe going fishing is a good idea; much to think about !
GOD has nothing to do with it. A few Crews missiles in a couple of places to get their attention will do wonders??? This is an act by a Butcher. Give them a 24 hours notice, then fire them missiles. Repeat as needed!
Isn't this the same massacre just ongoing?
But Russia and China said we can't do that..........and Obama said he wouldn't do anything unilaterally.
Cheap jokes like Iraqi wars are being repeated in Syria and Iran.
Book Hussein Zero's next vacation to Homs, so he can visit his "peace loving" Muslim "brothers."
This whole situation is disgusting. How can human beings be so vile?
Please ask the same questions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Somalia, Yemen and other Muslim nations!
Syria is still by far the best among the bad lot!
They are Muslim's!
Would be really nice to see the Arab/Middle East come together on this and take care of the situation on their own. Obviously the UN is more wrapped up in what it can make money off of, or glean regional influence, power etc... and should therefore be largely ignored.
It's a Middle East issue, and should be dealt with by them...just wish they'd do something quicker. People die in war, but civilians being targeted wholesale is not something I like hearing about.
Not to be too cold hearted about this, but it is a CIVIL WAR! We, North or South, didn't kill any civilians in our Civil War (NOT!). No innocent civilians were killed in WWII, especially in Berlin and Hiroshima/Nagasaki!
If you don't want innocent(?) civilians killed, don't start a WAR! Killing civilians is simply a FEAR TACTIC used by every side in War Mongering!
The really weird thing is most of these countries(?) are smaller in land mass than MOST States here in the USA! Further, the "Power" is driven by religion and/or MONEY!
While I certainly agree that civilian casualties are a reality in war, I think it's pretty preposterous to state this is a civil war. In the US Civil War, and in the other major conflicts you spoke of, both sides had actual weapons and armies. The rebels in this case, have perilously little by way of armaments to defend, protect or launch their own serious campaigns. Which is why cities like Homs, Idlib and the Baba Amr district were continuously, and relentlessly pounded by Assad's military. They have absolutely no way to stop it.
Remember, these protests started peacefully, and only escalated to armed conflict after Assad's forces began the killing. You can justify it however you want, but that's simply the truth. And usually people don't defect from your side when you're winning, unless they morally object to what's being done. And that is more telling than anything I've seen from the news media. People from Assad's side defecting on morale grounds is a big deal.
And you're right Assad's 'power' is a direct result of the rest of the world supporting his actions, because they served the purpose of making money for us. It's how many dictators have stayed in power for as long as they have, support from bigger, richer nations.
However, becoming complacent about it, like it's tolerable to have civilians dying, or having dictators in power....that's just as bad as condoning the violence.
Civilians being targeted wholsale? Well the US forces were comfortable using cluster munitions and white phosphorus rounds as anti personel weapons in Iraqi cities. Neither of these is in any way discriminating or could be considered 'humane'. The civilian casualties in Fallujah alone rose to ~ 6000. So - I am not sure what is being talked about as there is little doubt if there had been any media outflow from say Fallujah the images and stories would have been no different. In addition, the insurgents in Fallujah possessed no heavy weapons - indeed nothing different to what the Syrian rebels have - nonetheless that city was bombarded. It is kind of, do as we say, not as we do it seems to me. That is not to say I exonorate any of this, I abhorr it as was my position in regards Iraq. It is however interesting how human mindsets allow one to be 'shocked' when other people do things, but not when we are the perpetrators.
So what you're saying is because someone did it, it's ok for others to? Is that what you're saying? Because that's how children justify things. Seriously. That's exactly what goes through a childs mind. Oh well he did it, so so can I! Wah!
No country should be acting in such a fashion, I don't care if it's the US, or Syria. There is nothing that makes the killings of civilians ok. And as far as I'm concerned (and I'm American), the entirety of Iraq was an illegal action, perpetrated under false pretenses, by a Government who knowingly took us into a War that had nothing to do with the War on Terrorism. If I had the power, both Bush and Cheney would hang for crimes against the United States, and against foreign nations. I don't care one iota that they had to govern during one of the more troublesome times in American history. That gave them no right to act as they did.
B. Murphy: And that is precisely my point. However, in the absence of principle as we ( as Americans ) have demonstrated by providing a pass ( no culpability/accountability ) on mass murder why would one think the Assad's of this world would pay the slightest attention. Indeed, we have lead by horrible example - and the sad thing is I suspect US policy is to drive this insurrection ( sectarian in Syria ) further resulting in more casualties just for percieved self interest. In Syria this uprising is not 'popular' as presented - the alawites, christians, druze, kurdish and the islamic sector of the sunni population does not embrace it, the islamist sunni component however does. Bad policy breeds bad outcomes.
I am extremely sorry for American journalist Marie Colvins, poor soldiers and those inside the US and other nations hurt by the dances, dramas and wars directed by the Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Saudi FM should shut his dirty mouth first along with all his barbaric, beastly seventh century Sunni desert mindset bigots!
Syria and Iran are their problems just as Iraq was theirs.
Why do the most ungrateful Sunni Islamic Nazi Saudis drag others into their internal sectarian battles? They vanish to make profits out of the wars!
They made windfall profits out of Iraqi wars and funded their version of Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques, hater and killer training centres and funded their radicals and terrorists all over the world.
These seventh century Sunni Islamic Nazis are trying to be too smart again and again!
We don't want crap as excuses and answers.
In Syria, rebels are supported by al-Qaida and Muslim Brotherhood!
Assad should eliminate all the Saudi inspired rebels without mercy!
If Saudis try to be too smart, Assad and other Shiites should attack Saudi Arabia and erase that Saudi Arabia, mother of all world problems, to ground.
i hope our draft doesnt appease russia in any way. Im sure we could arm the opposition but obama has election and he doesnt want anything stand in that way i mean opposition of syria shouldnt expect obama do anything i mean he sold out his own allies Eastern europe to russia few years back. Many of our allies dont trust obama i mean i dont expect isreal to trust us on iran issue either cause we seen what obama did to our allies. Obama is appeaser and he can never go against putin because putin way too strong for obama
Let's not forget the horror of the soldier who murdered those 16 people in Afghanistan! <end sarcasm>
More of that fabulous "peace and love" from the paramilitary cult of death, destruction, and hate called "Islam" . . .
Burn a Qur'an and barbecue Bull's-Eye® Memphis Style pork ribs for Elvis and Jesus!™
to bad . all this senseless killing. for what, just to say I'm the boss.
Al Quadia is with the rebels, so yes, keep killing them. The more terrorists Assad takes out, the less there are to kill people in the western worlds. Makes sense to me.
There is something very wrong with America's media today. Gone are the days, where the facts were more important than the bottom line or racism, or war crimes, enter 9/11, and all is fair for America's hypocrisy to the nth degree, but others need not apply. To bring that hypocrisy that won't quit into a better prospective, let me say what supposedly Sitting Bull said about the America then and still holds true today, he said, when my people kill whites- defending their lands from the "Christian" pilgrims-the whites call it a massacre, but when the cavalry kills my people, they call it a victory. When we kill Muslims, Arabs, mostly women and children, we call it fighting "for America's fredom", when freedom has nothing to do with invading sovereign nations for oil and under false pretenses and calling war crimes, crimes against humanity fighting for "our freedoms" doesn't change the fact that it's, was and forever will be a war crimes, genocide. The problem here is that the criminal has to give his/her crimes a sanitized version, so others will doubt it is genocide, war crimes. It was true during Sitting Bull's life, it's true today. The nazis started annexing other lands for different reasons and to them, those reasons always were right, but the world tought of then quite the opposite. If we always ask the criminals for their version of events and accept it as gospel, then the Nazis would be alive today, but in the real world criminals don't get to choose their facts and take the real truth and make it a lie.
Why, if this media weren't owned by special interests, they go all out to show other regimes crimes, while here even the photo of a dead G.I. was in itself a crime, if not in the legal sense, at least in the moral sense. It burns me to see this "Christian and democratic" nation prohibiting the media to cover war like during the Viet Nam war, where not only Charlie's crimes were all there to see, but also ours. That is called true journalism, but what we have now can only be labeled as nazi propaganda at its best. One day I receive a photo of a G.I. with his weapon at the ready pointing towards a crying little girl, who couldn't have been over 5 years old and the photo came with the caption: What the media and the government doesn't want you to see. This see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil when it pertains to America, is not patriotism, but cowardice to the nth degree and the surrender of America "moral values." Why the media refused to make available the war crimes committed by this "Christian and democratic" nation reported by Wikileaks? Elementary Dr. Watson, we want to make the rules as what the media can report, can see. Who the world thinks we are, a democracy? Well, guess again, we are not. We are a nation driven by special interests, where a crime, crimes against humanity are not a crime if we commit them, but others just because they imprison our CIA, criminals In Action, "volunteers" for spying, we go all amok. I'm sure and I have Kent State to prove it that if the citizens were to protest against this government with weapons as they do in Syria, our government would kill more citizens here than in the killing fields of Cambodia and you can bank on it. Stop this hypocritical carnage. I don't know of any government in the world that would surrender power just because. Look how this "Christian and democratic" nation treated OWS and all because they wanted war criminalsl, corrupt politicians, corrupt corporations in jail, etc, etc, and they were treated worse than Russia treats its own citizens. We have become the worse of the worst and the government still sells that illusion that we are a democracy. What a baloney!
@SallyAnn maybe you should go there and give Assad a hand, and hopefully you won't make it back. People that think like you are no better than terrorist. Im sure that 2year old boy was an Al-queda mastermind. Stay under your rock you ignorant b*tch!
stewgotts: You can't even post the reply in right place.
You are abusing SallyAnn without knowing much details!
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General who was responsible for the scam in the Iraqi oil for food agreement and who utterly disgraced himself and the UN, is now going to Syria as a diplomat to see what he can do to help? Yeah, help himself broker an agreement for some Syrian oil for some torn blankets and moldy rice! They should hang him along with Bashir Assad when this debacle is over! What is worse, the perpetrator of a slaughter or the one who profits from it while in the disguise of being there to help? And the world sits by allowing this so-called Arab Spring, which in itself is trading terror for terror! The world sits by because China and Russia (major players on the Security Council) play for an ally in the Middle East, and Assad is the willing party because it keeps his regime in power! The Middle East has been the worlds enigma for centuries and as long as there are religions, it will remain an enigma!
How do they know where the old massacre ended and the new massacre started?
The bodies are facing the other direction!
Time to test out the latest bunker buster 30 thousand lb bomb on Assad's palace. I'm really amazed that this can be allowed to go on. Why is the UN not taking action? Why does the UN want to negotiate with these murderous thugs? Is the USA simply going to stand by and continue to watch as innocent people are destroyed day after day? WTF is wrong with this world? Thousands have already been murdered. Will Assad kill millions and still no action will be taken? I can only imagine the frustration of Jewish people when they were being slaughtered in the millions and no action was taken. Even more incomprehensible is that the Syrians are being murdered by their own government.
Nobody has taken this guy ASSad out yet? We got Ben Ladin now go for him.
I just hope we stay out of this mess. Where's the Arab League? Why aren't they taking care of their own neighborhood?
The big question is was Syria really doing that bad that they needed a revolution to fix. I mean if you dont like the country just leave ! What does all this killing of innocent women and children solve ? Absolutely nothing. Take a look at Iraq, can you really call that a democracy. Egypt is more unstable now than it was prior to revolution, Lybia is not even a country. All for what ?
Why does no one seem to care about the Massacre in Palestine, being perpetrated by the Zionist Regime ???
But that is the land of Islam and muslims. They don't massacre people.
It is un-Islamic!!!
It's the will of Allah.
It's the will of Allah.
It's the will of Allah.