SYRIA: U.N. says Syria killings targeted opposition.

Record ID: 281092

  • Title: SYRIA: U.N. says Syria killings targeted opposition.
  • Date: 15th July 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JULY 15, 2012) (REUTERS) UNSMIS SPOKESWOMAN, SAUSAN GHOSHEH, WALKING UP TO MAKE STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNSMIS SPOKESWOMAN, SAUSAN GHOSHEH, SAYING: "We are in Tremseh now, we entered today at 08:30 in the morning (05:30 GMT). We are continuing to verify the facts and if we have more we will inform you." GHOSHEH SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (E
  • Embargoed: 30th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVACVJZPYF9TFQPYGAV3SN0MTYA2
  • Story Text: United Nations observers found blood, burned homes and signs of artillery fire in the Syrian village of Tremseh on Saturday (July 14) but were unable to confirm activists' reports that about 220 people were massacred in an attack that prompted international outrage.
    A spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Damascus said observers were unable to confirm the death toll or number of casualties but would return later on Sunday (July 15) to investigate further.

    "We are in Tremseh now, we entered today at 08:30 in the morning (05:30 GMT). We are continuing to verify the facts and if we have more we will inform you," said spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh.

    "We can confirm that there was a military operation on July 12th, on Thursday. The attacks appeared targeted towards specific homes of activists as well as army defectors. Our U.N. team there observed homes which had pools of blood and blood splatters in some of the rooms as well as empty bullet cases. There was a wide range of weapons used including heavy weapons and artillery, mortar and small arms."
    Opposition activists say government forces killed about 220 people in the village.
    Syria rejects allegations of a massacre and says the attack on Thursday was a successful military operation that killed a large number of "terrorists" but no civilians.
    U.N. observers left their base in Damascus again on Sunday to continue their monitoring mission, one observer said he was part of a team heading to Douma.
    There is no break in the deadlock among world powers over how to bring about an end to the bloodshed.
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