Syrian opposition activists say scores of bodies have been found in a town near the capital Damascus, accusing government troops of "massacre". The activists say many of the victims in the town of Daraya had been "summarily executed". One unconfirmed report said more than 200 bodies were discovered in houses and basement shelters. Without commenting on the activists' claim, Syrian state TV said Daraya was being "purified of terrorist remnants".
'House-to-house' raids
The forces of President Bashar al-Assad launched an assault on the town on Saturday, after days of heavy bombardment. Activists on the ground later posted video footage on the internet, which apparently showed numerous bodies in the Abu Auleiman al-Darani mosque. The activists say that many of the victims had gunshot wounds to the head and chest and were killed during house-to-house raids by government troops. "Assad's army has committed a massacre in Daraya," an opposition member in Deraa told Reuters. The activist added that most of the victims had been killed from close range, and some died from sniper fire.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition activist group, had earlier put the number of dead in Deraa at more than 120 for this week alone. The claims by the activists have not been independently verified because of restrictions placed on on foreign media across Syria.
Failed ceasefire
In a separate development, the head of the UN mission to Syria left the country after the mission had been wound up. Senegalese Lt Gen Babacar Gaye joined a UN convoy to Lebanon on Saturday. Last week, the UN decided against extending the mission, which was originally part of a six-point peace plan for Syria. However, the ceasefire mandated by the plan never took hold and rising violence forced the UN monitors to be confined to their hotels since June.
Source: BBC News
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