Syria: Ashton, Tremsa massacre patent violation Annan plan
(AGI) Brussels - Catherine Ashton has said the massacre in Tremsa by Syrian forces is "a patent violation of the Annan plan." The EU head of diplomacy, of the massacre in the village of Tremsa by Syrian troops, condemned, "this atrocity in the strongest terms possible," and asked that United Nations observers be, "guaranteed immediate access, and without obstacles, to verify all the information possible on the events in Tremsa." . .
Syrian forces commit new massacre in Hama; Russia rejects new U.N. draft resolution
At last 250 people have been killed in a new massacre committed by the Syrian forces in al-Tremsa in Hama on Thursday, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists.
Activists at the Syrian Revolution Commission told Al Arabiya that scores of dead bodies were scattered in houses and in farms in al-Tremsa, while more than 150 dead bodies have been piled up in al-Tremsa mosque.
Activists said that helicopters have targeted the trucks carrying the humanitarian aid on their way to al-Tremsa, while the government troops shelled the village using tanks and missiles.
The Syrian National Council called for a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting over the new massacre in al-Tremsa and urged the U.N. observers to head to the village to document the mass killing.
The Syrian state TV, meanwhile, said that “terrorists” have committed the massacre and that the Syrian government forces have entered the village only after the residents asked for their help.
“The village school was totally destroyed,” a Hama-based activist calling himself Abu Ghazi told AFP via Skype.
“Every month, there is a major attack somewhere in Hama province, while arbitrary detentions happen every day,” the activist said.
Former head of the Syrian National Council Burhan Ghalioun told Al Arabiya that the “Syrian regime is desperate and is trying to put an end to the crisis through massacres.” He called for “real armament” for the Free Syrian Army.
Annan condemns massacre in Syria’s Al Tremsa village
Damascus, Jul 13: UN special envoy Kofi Annan has condemned the reported massacre at Al Tremsa village in Hama province. In a statement, he expressed shock that Syrian forces had used heavy weaponry against the villagers in Al Tremsa, violating its commitments to the UN peace plan. Annan condemned the atrocities and concern over intense fighting, significant casualties, and the confirmed use of heavy weaponry such as artillery, tanks and helicopters.
Meanwhile, the Head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria, General Robert Mood said that the observers are ready to go to Al Treimsa village, where around 150 civilians have been reported killed, if a ceasefire is in place. He said in Damascus that UNSMIS stands ready to go in and seek verification of facts if and when there is a credible ceasefire.
The opposition Syrian National Council has urged the U.N. Security Council to pass a binding resolution against Syria following the massacre in Al Tremsa village. In a statement, the Syrian National Council called for action under Chapter VII of UN Charter to protect the Syrian people. Chapter VII authorizes UN Security Council to take measures ranging from economic sanctions to military intervention.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights alleged that Syrian forces used firing by helicopter and shelling by heavy artillery in the village. On the other hand, the Syrian state news agency SANA quoting eyewitnesses said, armed terrorist groups attacked and opened random fire on the inhabitants, killing more than 50 persons. It said security forces rushed to the Al Tremsa village to rescue the residents and in the clashes, huge losses were suffered by the terrorists while three security personnel were killed.
Syrian mosques: from places of worship to morgues
With the harrowing rise in the number of Syrians civilians being killed at the hands of the regime, bodies found on the streets find temporary sanctuary in the mosques of Syria which have now turned from places of worship to morgues.
In the village of al-Tremsa, which had witnessed a horrid massacre that took the lives of more than 200 Syrians, dozens of bodies were lined up in the main mosque waiting to be identified by families.
A video clip posted on the Internet featured the blood-soaked bodies of 15 youth wearing jeans and t-shirts; there were no women or children in the clip.
In another clip, shrouded bodies still leak blood and a man uncovers a burned body. A few men then began to bury the bodies in a tunnel.
Men stood with stunned expressions and women wailed as the bodies were prepared for burial as several children felt their way between the bodies that filled the place.
The Hama Revolutionary Council said the attack on the predominantly Sunni al-Tremsa was an attempt at ethnic cleansing on the part of the regime especially since the village and all the roads leading to it had been besieged by army barricades for six months.
The Council added that Tremsa is surrounded by six Alawite villages and that regime thugs who carried out the massacre came from there.
According to a report on the massacre, 200 tanks and armored vehicles besieged al-Tremsa in the morning and five helicopters were seen hovering above the village at the start of the attack.
When the attack started, the report added, opposition militants from neighboring areas hurried to defend the village and engaged in a battle that lasted for seven hours. When the fighting stopped, at least 150 bodies were found in the rubble, the surrounding fields, and al-Asi River.
The report said that 40 people were executed without trial, 30 bodies were burned until it was almost impossible to identify them, and members of three families were tortured to death.
According to an Al Arabiya correspondent in Syria, international observers arrived in Tremsa two days after activists announced the death of 220 people following an attack by regime thugs and simultaneous strikes by military helicopters.
Observers arrived to carry out investigations on the massacre and evaluate its aftermath after the U.N. was notified of a ceasefire in Tremsa. The delegation comprises both civilian and military experts, according to delegation spokesperson in Damascus Suzanne Ghouseh.
