World

CNN Analyst Predicts ‘Turning Point’ After Syrian Massacre That Included Families, Children (Graphic)

CNN’s Fouad Ajami thinks the awful news out of Syria this weekend could be a “turning point” in the conflict in Syria that could force international action of some sort.

The U.N. said Tuesday that entire families were shot in their homes during a massacre in Syria last week that killed more than 100 people, including children. Most of the victims were shot at close range, the U.N. said.

CNN published some of the disturbing images from the killings showing some of the child victims. One man described seeing a dead baby who still had a pacifier in its mouth:

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the conclusions were based on accounts gathered by U.N. monitors and corroborated by other sources. He said U.N. monitors found that fewer than 20 of the 108 people killed in the west-central area of Houla were killed by artillery fire.

“Most of the rest of the victims were summarily executed in two separate incidents,” Colville told reporters in Geneva. “At this point it looks like entire families were shot in their houses.”

He said witnesses blamed pro-government thugs known as shabiha for the attacks, noting that they sometimes operate “in concert” with government forces.

The killings in a collection of villages called Houla near the central Syrian city of Homs last week have drawn fresh attention to the Syrian conflict, in part because of the brutality of the massacre. Activists posted amateur videos online showing shells exploding in the village, dismembered bodies lying in the streets, then rows of dozens of dead laid out before being buried in a mass grave.

This images, according to Ajami, could mark a “turning point” for the anti-government forces and the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Ajami told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the Obama administration has set up the choices as either “boots on the ground our head in the sand” and has let Russia dictate world action instead of pursuing other options:

The U.N. has said government forces fired tank shells and artillery at Houla, but stopped short of blaming them for Friday’s killings. Activists said most of the victims were killed by pro-government thugs who stormed the area after clashes with local rebels, but the regime categorically denied any involvement.

The United Nations said previously that 108 people were killed in the massacre, including 49 children and 34 women; some had bullet holes through their heads.

International envoy Kofi Annan met with President Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, Syria’s state new agency reported without giving further details.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Comments (29)

  • Passerby
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 11:40pm

    The Alawites are more Christian than Muslim. Really neither. They took the side of the Crusaders and they took the side of the Christians/French in the last century, but the Christians stabbed them in the back and created Syria where they would be a minority. The Alawites begged them for their own country, including Assad’s grandfather…

    “The Alawites refuse to be annexed to Muslim Syria because, in Syria, the
    official religion of the state is Islam, and according to Islam, the Alawites
    are considered infidels. . . ”

    That’s the solution, if there is one short of mass race/religious war, give the Alawites/Phoenicians their own country, in their homeland, where the Phoenicians were on the coast. Muslims won’t like it, and it’s why the Christians sold them out, then Syria has no access to the Med. Well, tough.

    They’re probably about to slaughter each other, but if there is a happy ending, that’s it.

    Report Post » Passerby  
  • Ohiopatriarc
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 1:51pm

    Obviously Obama wants to use this as an excuse to use US military power and since it is re-election time, that would help the cause to strangle liberty further by putting him into power for four more years. What is in Syria should stay in Syria without our involvement.

    Report Post » Ohiopatriarc  
    • ICEDRAGONNITE
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 3:07pm

      Warm up the DRONES here come BO and HAJI HILLARY to bring in the Muslim Brotherhood. With Panetta wiping up the rear.

      Report Post » ICEDRAGONNITE  
  • Magyar
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 1:30pm

    While I hate the thought of children being slaughtered— I say, stay the he!! out of it…

    Report Post »  
  • Maxim Crux
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 12:51pm

    Would it surprise anyone if the murders were committed by someone else an pinned on the evil bastards that run that country to justify NATO intervention like in Libya?

    Report Post »  
    • Jaycen
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 1:21pm

      That’s pretty conspiracy theory heavy. Is it really that hard to believe the Syrians did that to themselves?

      Instead of making up bogey men, why don’t we focus on the important REAL issues like, the U.N. doesn’t tell the U.S. when and where to get involved, eh? I think the murder of innocents is wrong, but it’s THEIR government.

      If the U.S. wants to get involved, it must be with people who think as we do. Otherwise, we must remain uncommitted.

      Report Post » Jaycen  
  • lukerw
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 12:37pm

    I predict… that Ajami’s A$$ will turn into a Islamic Iman/Imam!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • Passerby
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 9:32am

    Syria has 50 Chemical/Biological Weapon sites around the country, that we know of. Undisputed, including by Syria.

    Al-Qaeda gets it’s hands on just one of those sites and all our civil rights and civilization as we know it will come to an end.

    Any of you rocket scientists got a plan for securing those sites if the regime collapses?

    Report Post » Passerby  
    • moose8684
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 10:26am

      Well I have a plan, how about we stop arming and training Al Qaeda to overthrow the regime, and then we don’t have to worry about it.

      Report Post »  
    • Passerby
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 10:41am

      You think the USA is arming Al-Qaeda?

      False, we are slaughtering them.

      Report Post » Passerby  
    • Prosoldier
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 11:15am

      Yes, we are getting Al-Qaeda, but unfortunately in most cases, today‘s rebels are tomorrow’s Al-Qaeda or another future western hating group. Yet we insist on giving and/or selling these people all kinds of weapons to kill us with later.

      Think about it. Farmer Bob is unhappy with the way he and his family are being treated by the government. We give farmer Bob a truckload of rockets and inspire him to join the rebellion. After the fighting, farmer Bob still has some rockets left, but he is still poor. A group emerges from the revolution promising hope and change. That group offers money or threatens farmer Bob for the weapons he has buried in a field or stashed in a barn. Farmer Bob doesn’t need the rockets anymore and he stands to either make money or at least stay alive, so what do you think becomes of farmer Bob’s rockets? That‘s provided that farmer Bob’s young influential son Jimbo doesn’t decide to join this group and take the rockets with him.

      Report Post »  
    • Passerby
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 5:02pm

      Someone is ratting out Al-Qaeda. We have their number. Good chance it’s Muslims. Doing something right.

      And I just don‘t think there’s much association between our supporting radical Muslims and the terrorists, other than indirectly from Saudi Arabia financing them etc. Even the famous “Bn Laden” connection didn’t exist. He was just a rich kid that deliverd the Saudi Money to the anti-Soviets. The guys we supported then were on our side now, the Taliban is something else entirely. Al-Qaeda is just Egyptian Jihad that killed Sadat, etc. The Mad Doctor was running that then and is running Al-Qaeda now. The rich Saudi kid just wanted to keep paying Jihadist so he leased it.

      In general, support for Al-Qaeda in Muslim countries is a tiny fraction of what it was right after 9/11 when they were cheering in the streets and waving Bin Laden posters. Ain’t no one waving Bin Laden posters now. Begging for a Hellfire missile, plus after all, he’s a loser.

      I think there are issues remaining from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, of people that hadn’t ruled themselves for centuries having to figure it out the hard way.

      Report Post » Passerby  
  • recoveringneocon
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 9:22am

    Looks like even the NeoCons are getting tired.

    Report Post » recoveringneocon  
    • Passerby
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 9:29am

      Nah, it’s a Democrat in office, the party out of power always takes the side of the terrorists and dictators against the US.

      Report Post » Passerby  
  • TWO BITS
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 9:14am

    The “Responsibility To Protect” doctrine that was established for Libya resulted in an alignment with members of Al-Qaeda who had fought against American forces in Iraq. Enough said! Let the mighty Arab League gird their loins and resolve their problems.

    Report Post » TWO BITS  
  • Athinkerinaseaoflibs
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 8:22am

    There is nothing we can do in this situation that will not increase the violence except become the focus of all sides of the fight. If we become the common enemy of all these factions, they will temporally turn on the US. When that is done, they will return the slaughter of each other. Additionally, once one side comes out triumphant, (However their twisted minds define triumphant) they will exterminate all of the other faction and impose some type of undesirable government that ultimately will become the hell that we all read about in the Bible. I am sorry to insult the delusional liberals in the world but. this is the way that the muslims choose to live–In death, squalor and misery all the while demanding that the rest of the world must agree.

    Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 8:17am

    KEEP US OUT of this pending war with the US and Syria! If the UN is determined to do something let them do so; just impeach that traitor Obama if he decides to start another illegal war as he did in Libya and his treasonous support for the M Brotherhood. As I have said, its not until the radicals and extremists in Syria were in danger that Obama would respond with support for them – and so it is to happen.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • G-WHIZ
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 12:11pm

      HillyClinton took the entire travel-office and shoved it out the WH-back door wthout any prenotification!How-bout WE shove the entire-UN out the backdoor of their building into the parkig-lot, and then implode the entire building. The USA-TAXPAYERS would gladly immediately-fund, 1-way tickets, inthe bilge of the next tanker-ship, to anywhere-but-here. All to be on no-fly-no-entry-lists. if they showup, anyway, we do same thiing Mexico does…”WE BACK-SEND THEM!”

      Report Post »  
  • Rickfromillinois
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 8:11am

    So we need to invade Syria to prevent their government from killing it’s own citizens? After Syria, how about Iran? Then who? Maybe China? How many thousands of troops are we going to lose invading Syria? They do have chemical weapons don’t they? And just how does this affect the security of the United States that we feel compelled to invade? How much is it going to cost us? Where else in the world do we need to invade? Chad? Somalia? Liberia? Uganda? This wouldn’t happen to be an election year with a President facing a tough re-election would it?

    Report Post » Rickfromillinois  
    • Passerby
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 9:34am

      The perfect isn’t the enemy of the good. Just because we can‘t catch all murderers doesn’t mean we should catch none.

      But yeah, stay out of this one, to the extent we can.

      Report Post » Passerby  
  • v15
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 8:09am

    Shooting women and children is messed up, but we should still stay out of Syria right now. What good can come of the USA jumping into a country plunged into civil war? What could the USA do right now that the UN isn’t doing already?

    Report Post » v15  
  • jackact
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 7:53am

    But Hillary Clinton said, less than a year ago, that Assad was a ‘true visionary and great leader of his people’.
    Will CNN be reporting that too?

    Report Post »  
  • Meyvn
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 7:49am

    The Ruski regime is evil. Likewise, is the Syrian and Iranian regimes.

    Report Post » Meyvn  
  • Detroit paperboy
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 7:46am

    Stay out of it……..period.

    Report Post »  
  • DoomsdayProphet
    Posted on May 29, 2012 at 7:35am

    Progressives start wars, real conservative Christians end them. Funny how all the liberals support “kinetic interaction” while never prompting the questions of illegal wars unless a certain letter is behind their name.

    Report Post »  
    • PETTYDRAMA
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 8:14am

      Christians end them through indoctrination, killing in the name of a god, molestation and slavery.

      Report Post » PETTYDRAMA  
    • EqualJustice
      Posted on May 29, 2012 at 10:32am

      Oh, drama.. how pettty and FALSE. Commies indoctrinate and take GOD out of everything. Go away fool.

      Report Post » EqualJustice  

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