|
Trending Topics
|
Gruesome Killings Mark Escalation of Violence in Syrian Capital
(Washington Post) Liz Sly - Scores of mutilated, bloodied bodies have been found dumped on the streets and on waste ground on the outskirts of Damascus in recent days, apparently the victims of a surge of extrajudicial killings by Syrian security forces. Activists say the Damascus killings reflect a new government strategy to deter support for the opposition Free Syrian Army by punishing and intimidating civilians living in areas under rebel control. Most of the victims are men, many bearing torture marks, and all appear to have died either from bullet wounds to the head or by having their throats cut. In Jdeidat Artouz, 83 bodies have been found strewn around town since government forces retook the area this month, according to an activist. In the nearby suburb of Qatana, about 60 bodies were found last week at a garbage dump, the victims' hands bound behind their backs. According to the Center for the Documentation of Violations in Syria, 730 civilians have been killed in Damascus this month and 529 in Aleppo.