Assad defector describes Houla massacre
A senior Syrian military officer has described how he witnessed the massacre of more than 100 civilians in the town of Houla one week ago.
According to The Observer, Major Jihad Raslan defected to opposition forces after seeing the massacre, over which he has accused pro-Assad regime militiamen.
49 children and at least 20 women were amongst those killed last week in the Houla incident.
Raslan said he had served in the militia forces until last Saturday when he had been in Houla on leave.
He said the town was invaded by a civilian militia, known as the Shabiha.
Raslan said the men, bearded and shouting pro-Assad slogans, rode into town in cars, army trucks and on motorbikes.
He was in his house, around 300 metres from the site of the massacre, when he observed the first indiscriminate killings.
He said most who died had been rounded up in around 15 minutes and brutally murdered.
The account of Major Jihad Raslan has come on top of a statement by United Nations' special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, who has warned of an increasing risk of war in Syria.
In Houla, shelling has become more intense since the massacre.
Locals have suggested that regime forces are now targeting houses where massacres took place in order to destroy evidence.
Source: Middle East News.Net
- 409 reads
