E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSRebels in Syria say Assad's forces had slaughtered at least 78 people, including women and children, but Assad's people say it was the rebels and the numbers were far fewer. ITN's Paul Davies reports. Warning: Some pictures in this report are disturbing.
The smell of burned flesh hung in the air and body parts lay scattered around the deserted Syrian hamlet of Mazraat al-Qubeir on Friday, U.N. monitors said after visiting the site where 78 people were reported massacred two days ago.
The alleged killing spree on Wednesday underlined how little outside powers, divided and pursuing their own interests in the Middle East, have been able to do to stop increasing carnage in the 15-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.
A day after Syrian armed forces and villagers had turned them back, the unarmed U.N. monitors reached the farming settlement of Mazraat al-Qubeir, finding it deserted but bearing signs of deadly violence.
One house was damaged by rocket fire and bullets, U.N. spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh said. Another was burned, with bodies still inside. "You could smell dead bodies and you could also see body parts in and around the village," Ghosheh told reporters after returning to Damascus.
Syrian troops shell rebel city as full-scale assault feared, activists say
BBC reporter Paul Danahar, who accompanied the U.N. monitors, said it was clear "terrible crime" had taken place.
In one house he saw "pieces of brains lying on the floor.
"There was a tablecloth covered in blood and flesh and someone had tried to mop the blood up by pushing it into the corner, but seems they had given up because there was so much of it around."
Blood was in pools around a room, Danahar tweeted. "Pieces of flesh lay among the scattered possession." Livestock carcasses were rotting in the sun.
The former U.N. secretary general, who brokered the peace deal that was to be implemented in Syria, has conceded that the plan is not working. Meanwhile, U.N. monitors attempting to investigate the latest massacre in Syria are facing gunfire. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Danahar's Twitter report added: "What we didn't find were any bodies of people. What we did find were tracks on the tarmac (that) the U.N. said looked like armored personnel carriers or tanks."
"Whoever did this may have acted with mindless violence but attempts to cover up the details of the atrocity are calculated & clear," Danahar concluded.
Ghosheh said Mazraat al-Qubeir, which has a population of around 150 people, was empty on Friday, but people from neighboring villages arrived to give their accounts.
Rebel fighter: Syria army firing on more villages after 'massacre'
"The information was a little bit conflicting. We need to go back, cross-reference what we have heard, and check the names they say were killed, check the names they say are missing."
Many Syrian civilians are fleeing their homes to escape widening fighting between security forces and rebels, the Red Cross said, while the outside world seems unable to craft an alternative to envoy Kofi Annan's failing peace plan.
"Some say that the plan may be dead," Annan said before meeting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.
"Is the problem the plan or the problem is implementation?" he asked. "If it's implementation, how do we get action on that? And if it is the plan, what other options do we have?"
Activists say at least 78 people were shot, stabbed or burned alive in Mazraat al-Qubeir, a Sunni Muslim hamlet, by forces loyal to Assad, whose minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, has dominated Syria for decades.
Syrian authorities have condemned the killings in Mazraat al-Qubeir and another massacre of civilians in Houla two weeks ago, blaming them on "terrorists."
The conflict is becoming increasingly sectarian. Shabbiha militiamen from the Alawite community appear to be off the leash, targeting Sunni civilians almost regardless of their part in the uprising.
Opposition activists said those killed in Mazraat al-Qubeir had not previously been caught up in the conflict.
Reuters contributed to this report.
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Full-scale assault feared as Syrian troops shell rebel city
- Soccer, cable TV at Gitmo? US lockup in Cuba quietly being upgraded
- Amid simmering unrest, China bans foreigners' travel to Tibet
- Did Canada's alleged cannibal killer Luka Magnotta strike in LA?
- Solo Brit rower rescued after Pacific storm; another waits for help
- TV show attack shows 'real face' of far-right in Greece?
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
Vegains and Ray-2194047 You all can sit here with the rest of these people commenting about Assad and his Murdering ways , But you know I thought some times you give just a little intelligent thoughts , But It does not look like you all doing that , And Sorry I am not Trying to Insult anyone here , But It seems like , You all believe everything is fed to you here by our Media , Here on top , This reporter from Cairo Egypt , reporting about Syria , Thousand mile away . and the Back ground A Syrian Tank catching on fire by the Rebels guns ,. I guess not unless you believe that Assad killing his own troops too . And the reporter tells you the his sources are the rebels and their base in London . So I wonder if you all start believing Alqaeda when it comes to the war with the US . Today Washington Post came out with a report , Telling you that Saudia Arabia Financed and still Financing Alqaeda and every Muslim Terrorist Group in the Whole world . Till this day they are responsible for 45% of all killings and bombs in Iraq , And that Mr.Dick Cheney and prince Sultan Bin Bender Decided to Finance and Arm all the Muslim Fanatic Against the Iranians and their Friends , And that include Alqaeda , So you can rattle all you want about Assad and Syria , And the Human right BS , I did not see any country including The US TRYING TO HELP the MILLION REFUGEES FROM IRAQ THAT WENT IN TO SYRIA AFTER WE ATTACKED IRAQ, I DID NOT SEE ANY BODY HELPING THE CHRISTIAN SERBS AFTER MR. BILL CLINTON ATTACKED SERBIA AND KOSOVO , NOW WE ARE DEPENDING ON ONE SIDED REPORTS AND DO NOT LISTEN TO OUR INTEL. ABOUT ALQAEDA BEING IN SYRIA , AND FIGHTING THE ASSAD REGIME , IT DOES NOT MATTER , WE WANT HIM OUT , HE IS A FRIEND OF IRAN , WE HELP THE DEVIL TO GET RID OH HIM , HE IS A THREAT TO ISRAEL . THIS WHAT'S THE WHOLE THING IS ALL ABOUT . CHRISTIANS ARE GETTING KILLED IN SYRIA , THEIR CHURCHES BEEN BURNED ,( AND NOT BY ASSAD ) BUT WHO CARES . HYPOCRITES , THAT'S WHAT WE ARE . WMD IN IRAQ WAS NEVER THERE , DID ANY BODY CARED , HELL NO . HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS DIED , OUR OWN HERO'S GIVE THEIR LIVES , DID ANY BODY EVEN CARED , AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHO LIED TO US . HELL NO . THEY KEEP US BUSY WITH THE PRICE OF THE OIL AND LOST JOBS AND TERRORISTS THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN GOING AFTER. IT USELESS TO TALK WHEN NOBODY LISTEN.
I'm inclined to agree with you. I don't trust that it was the government that did all that. I would think the government would have a lot more to lose from slaughtering children than a militant group of rebels. Plus, by committing these horrible acts they are heating up the plaza (putting the heat on the syrian government so that someone will kill the enemy.) I'll be pretty blunt and honest here, I could care less about the middle east. It's not worth our soldier's lives, and it's not worth our money time and effort. I think most Americans feel the same way and won't say it so plainly. People are quick to pound the war drum loudly until it's their son or daughter going to fight a war over something that is not all that important to them and does not affect their daily lives in the least.
Its like going to Chicago on the weekend and watching the police answer dozens of attacks! The Chicago Area is about half of Syria (population numbers). But weekends with dozens of shootings are the norm even though Chicago has strong gun control laws or regulations (the courts are trying to let the people protect themselves, but Chicago Democrats need to keep the guns in the hands of the drug gangs only). NATO needs to send troops to Chicago to protect innocent citizens from the Democrat Drug Gangs! Obama and Jackson have not lifted a finger to eliminate the drug gangs in Chicago. Their supporters need illegal drugs! and the illegal money! That is the Obama Way! (excuse me, the Chicago Way).
I don't think it's quite so similar. Also, Chicago is not all that rough. Also, Obama isn't the chief of chicago police. Also, drug gangs normally are pretty anti government so lumping them in with the democrats is a stretch. I think your tin foil hat is on too tight, you're losing circulation.
It's just Blacks killing off each other. Fight to give them equal rights, higher education, employment and Affirmative Action to pursue the American Dream. Still a large sum still rather choose handouts, welfare, drugs and crime. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Where's Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and his son? Where are the Black Panthers?
Probably hiding in their WHITE neighborhoods. Afraid they'll get shot by their own race or no money to be made off them.
The middle east is a lost cause. You can't help people that won't help themselves. If we left them completely alone, they'd be doing the exact same thing. 50 years ago it was the same, 50 years from now it will be the same. Their ways are backwards and it's not worth the international community's time and soldier's lives. Islamists will probably always exist and will commit horrendous atrocities because their religion of peace is founded on a book as violent as the crusades and their culture is as intolerant as it gets. Let it rot.
Oil is the only reason to put up with the middle east's crap. Once the oil is gone or the civilized world doesn't need oil, the middle east is going back to the dark ages.
If we could take all the oil fromt he middle east and then eject that part of the world out into space, our world would instantly become a safer and better place. How stupid are these people to keep fighting like this?!?!
the bad part is ,our goverment is giving around 40 billion a year to thjose muslum countries ,for the leaders to squander ,,and I never hear any of you AMERICANS WHO PAY TAXES ,COMPLAINING
you all are missing the big picture,its not that their religion is a series of horrendous atrocities, it is not what they are doing is wrong /it is just the ignorent leading the blind to beleive that the east is a monster and must be punished for their crimes. thier "crimes" are what they believe in to their last breath/it is your own hypocricy that inevitably labels them,and anyone else who opposes our imperialism as enemys or atrocious
It's difficult to believe that so many leaders see it correct to use tanks against their own population. I think that a cheaper way to get rid of Assad would be to put out a contract for his hide. Let the head hunters have at him. Make it so he can't leave his house in safety even with an army surrounding him. Might get the point across to the rest of the little self made gods to keep a low profile. No boots on the ground. Just private contractors and a good bounty. One bullet and one less dictator. Might not happen over night but if the price is right. It will happen.
The world needs another Iraq-Iran war. the Sunnis and Sheites should go to war and solve their differences once and for all. These piss-ant little skirmishes that go on for 1500 years solve nothing. They need to settle it once and for all among themselves and the rest of the world should do nothing except sell them arms. Sunnis are generally of lower intelligence and mindless and Sheites gutless and dominating...no telling who would win but it would be interesting to sit back and watch them solve their own problems for a change instead of getting the rest of the world to step in to keep them from killing each other. If they leave us alone and just kill each other, why should we care? Not a single thing of value to humanity has come out of the muslem world in over 1000 years, except oil and suicide bombers and only one of those was original, the other an accident.
WMD? propaganda at its finest, I feel like I've seen this before.. WAIT WE ALL HAVE
Sounds almost as horrific as the US Government's 'authorized' and encouraged Attack on the WACO TEXAS Branch Davidian compound, where women and children were gathered for the slaughter and burned beyond recognition in their bus, by (then) US Attorney General, Janet Reno's trained Thugs. The UN should go 'Retro' and Investigate the handling of that agenda driven fiasco of 'Death by Fire'. The UN is now 'within' the US borders suing (driven by 'disarming Subjects' Agenda), and Investigating Travon Martin's death. Why not keep their "Camel's nose under the tent" and let them roam across the US... Investigating...... whatever suits their CONTROL imagination?
The United States needs to stay out of this and not supply the anti government forces with arms. The rebels consist of Al-Qaeda (backed by Sunni Saudi Arabia), Islamic Fundamentalists, Muslim Brotherhood and genuine anti government fighters. The oil rich Sunni countries in the middle east are bankrolling this uprising because of their hatred toward Shiite Muslims. Why on earth would we want to supply terrorists with arms when they'll use them against us in the future?
Let our European Allies sort this out. They're not even waving a big stick.