Source RT
The findings contradict opposition claims of civilian killings by Assad forces.
“A variety of weapons were used in an attack on the Syrian village of Tremseh, where more than 150 people were killed this week, with the homes of rebels and activists bearing the brunt,” the UN mission said.
A team of monitors visited the site of the killings on Saturday. After a preliminary examination they concluded that “the attack on Tremseh appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists.” However, the mission said the death toll was still unclear.
The conclusions of the investigation appear to coincide with the Syrian government’s claims that the attack on Tremseh was part of a counter-terrorist operation in the area.
"Armed forces units on Thursday morning carried out a 'special operation' in Tremseh … that targeted the gatherings of terrorist group members," said Syrian state news outlet SANA, quoting a military source.
The Syrian government said the operation was launched in response to civilian pleas for help in the area, claiming that they had been victims of “criminal acts at the hands of armed terrorist groups.”
Following reports of the killings, the international community was quick to condemn the Assad government for another massacre, with Washington branding Syrian leaders as murderers.
While UN leader Ban Ki-moon said that the reports cast doubt over President Bashar al-Assad’s commitment to UN envoy, Kofi Annan’s peace plan.
Author and historian Gerald Horne said that anti-Assad rhetoric immediately triggered by the Tremseh killings was indicative of a media “blame game.”
He told RT that some parties involved “would like to see a replay of the Libyan misadventure when cries for humanitarian aid were really just a mask for regime change.”
http://www.rt.com/news/tremseh-massacre-un-rebels-215/
The findings contradict opposition claims of civilian killings by Assad forces.
“A variety of weapons were used in an attack on the Syrian village of Tremseh, where more than 150 people were killed this week, with the homes of rebels and activists bearing the brunt,” the UN mission said.
A team of monitors visited the site of the killings on Saturday. After a preliminary examination they concluded that “the attack on Tremseh appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists.” However, the mission said the death toll was still unclear.
The conclusions of the investigation appear to coincide with the Syrian government’s claims that the attack on Tremseh was part of a counter-terrorist operation in the area.
"Armed forces units on Thursday morning carried out a 'special operation' in Tremseh … that targeted the gatherings of terrorist group members," said Syrian state news outlet SANA, quoting a military source.
The Syrian government said the operation was launched in response to civilian pleas for help in the area, claiming that they had been victims of “criminal acts at the hands of armed terrorist groups.”
Following reports of the killings, the international community was quick to condemn the Assad government for another massacre, with Washington branding Syrian leaders as murderers.
While UN leader Ban Ki-moon said that the reports cast doubt over President Bashar al-Assad’s commitment to UN envoy, Kofi Annan’s peace plan.
Media war rages on
Author and historian Gerald Horne said that anti-Assad rhetoric immediately triggered by the Tremseh killings was indicative of a media “blame game.”
“First of all it’s very curious that just before important UN meetings we hear reports about massacres.” He added that speculation over the number of victims and whether or not women and children were involved undermined the credibility of media reports on the killings.
Horne went on to stress that there were many interests at play in the Syrian conflict and that “regime change is the name of the game with Syria.”He told RT that some parties involved “would like to see a replay of the Libyan misadventure when cries for humanitarian aid were really just a mask for regime change.”
http://www.rt.com/news/tremseh-massacre-un-rebels-215/
