U.N. Condemns Syrian Killings; Toll Rises to 108
The U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemned the weekend massacre of more than 100 civilians in Syria, with members casting blame on government forces for the deaths.
U.N. military observers said the toll from the Friday assault on the village of Houle included dozens of women and children. After consultations Sunday afternoon, Security Council members condemned “attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighborhood,” as well as the killings of civilians by close-range gunshots and “severe physical abuse.”
“Such outrageous use of force against the civilian population constitutes a violation of applicable international law and of the commitments of the Syrian government under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043 to cease violence in all its forms, including the cessation of use of heavy weapons in population centers,” said Azerbaijan’s Deputy Ambassador Tofig Musayev, who presided over the meeting. The members demanded that Syrian troops immediately pull its troops and heavy weapons back from cities in accordance with an April cease-fire.