More Reports Filter Out On The Civilian Massacre In Bayda, Syria

In Syria, Signs of Civilian Massacre -- Wall Street Journal

Residents in Bayda Say Toll Hit Hundreds, Including Children; Damascus Says It Killed Only Terrorists.

BAYDA, Syria—The chain of events that led to one of the Syrian war's worst mass killings started when government forces came to this village and arrested Hassan Othman on charges of instigating rebellion.

Mr. Othman, a 31-year-old with a wife and two children, was severely tortured, according to a cousin's account. He confessed to Syrian authorities that rebels secretly operating in Bayda had hidden arms there, say residents, local security officials and opposition activists.

Within days, Syrian forces had shelled and swept this village and a nearby area in an offensive that left some 300 people dead, most of them civilians, according to residents, activists and rights groups. The campaign, many of these people said, exemplified the scorched-earth counterinsurgency strategy employed by the embattled Damascus government.

Read more ....

My Comment: Massacres are happening everyday in Syria .... but this massacre was particularly brutal .... exemplifying the scorched-earth counterinsurgency strategy that is now being employed by the Syrian government.