Massacre of the innocents: Bodies of up to 57 women and children discovered in Syria
- Many had been tortured, some of the women raped
- Several had broken necks or limbs and many had been set ablaze
By David Williams, Chief Reporter
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At least 47 women and children, including two three year-olds, have been executed by militia loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and the death toll is expected to rise, activists claimed last night.
Opposition officials described the murders as a 'massacre' with the bodies of 26 children and 21 women found so far.
Some of the victims are said to have been beaten and tortured before being lined-up and shot through the heart or head, others were stabbed in the back or had their throat slit in the Karm el-Zeytoun district of the embattled city of Homs.
Several had broken necks or limbs, including a young girl, and many had been set ablaze after heating fuel was poured over them.
Activists accused the gunmen of the pro-government militia known as 'Shabiha' of carrying out 'systematic slaughter' while officials of the Assad regime blamed 'armed terrorists' - supporters, they said, of the opposition.
As news of the killings spread, hundreds of families fled the Karm el-Zeytoun area of Homs yesterday fearing further attacks.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...Karm-el-Zeytoun.html