Syria's worst massacre: Daraya death toll reaches 400

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Opposition groups in Syria on Tuesday said up to 400 bodies had been found in the town of Daraya, south-west of the capital Damascus, in what appears to be the worst single massacre by government forces in the country's 17-month-old civil war.

At least 200 bodies were found among the Sunni community on Saturday, after Syrian troops stormed the town and carried out house-to-house searches.

On Tuesday following the army's withdrawal residents reported the death toll was higher. They said that government troops and pro-government shabiha militia raided some streets "two or three times", in some cases demanding hospitality and then killing their hosts when they left.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/28/syria-worst-massacre-daraya-death-toll-400

[leveymg]

1. Why is it that every time the FSA loses a battle, it's casualties are counted as a "massacre"?

Last edited Wed Aug 29, 2012, 04:32 AM - Edit history (1)

Here's a video of the "massacre" in progress - FSA units firing antitank RPGs at the Syrian Army inside the city. Where are the helpless civilians being massacred there?

The Guardian has gone full-tilt neocon.

[oldsarge54]

2. Welllll

First of all, do you have a report with the full body count and breakdown by gender and age? Second, you know darn well in a firefight like this in an inhabited area will kill non-combatants. How many of the dead had a weapon? Lastly, since when was be in favor of a revolt against a tyrant a Conservative issue. I always thought is was a LIBERAL issue to fight against tyranny. I must have missed the memo.

[riderinthestorm]

5. This is not an Arab Spring revolutionary movement in Syria.

This is a religious sectarian conflict exacerbated by tribal battles, old Cold War posturing, and meddling colonial and regional powers (Turkey, Israel, the US, China, Russia, KSA, etc etc).

Shia Iran has threatened to attack Israel if (Alawite Shia) Assad is forcibly removed. Nothing about this battle is a "fight against tyranny". In fact, removing Assad will most likely result in a genocidal bloodbath in the region like we haven't witnessed in a very long time.

Welcome to DU by the way, even if a bit belatedly.

[leveymg]

9. We'll never get an accurate body count, from either side. It only stands to reason, a high

percentage of the dead were combatants, given that there was heavy fighting in that city and most of the civilian population had wisely cleared out of there.

Lastly, this is no longer a revolt against a tyrant - the Arab Spring part is long past - it's now a proxy war between Sunni and Shi'ia, a war that can only deepen and spread throughout the region which can only end up harming the U.S. national interest. You missed the memo.

[happyslug]

3. 400 dead in a town of 30,000 people????

The article points out the "Town" had a population of 300,000 BEFORE the fighting and 90% of the population left when the fighting started, that leaves 30,000 people. Most of the dead where men between the ages of 25 and 45, again military age males. Could this be just dead SOLDIERS??? Dead Militants???

To put this is perspective, when the Srebrenica Massacre took place in Bosnia, the population of the town was about 40,000 people, but over 12,000 people (Mostly men and teen age boys) were killed.

More on the Town of Srebrenica:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srebrenica

More on the Srebrenica Massacre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srebrenica_massacre

Thus 400 deaths does not come close to what happen in Srebrenica, and is appears to be more battle deaths then civilian deaths. Now, in Srebrenica it was mostly men and boys who were killed, as in this report from Syria, but the number of people killed in Srebrenica was over 30 times what was lost in Daraya, Syria, and both had about 30-40,000 people in them when there were taken and the people killed. It is a good comparison (Good in the sense the two incidents are similar, not that any death is good).

My point this can be a Massacre, or can be losses of soldiers in actual combat. Surrounding the town, hitting it with Artillery and then doing a house to house search is going to lead to a lot of death in normal combat situation. Thus the 400 dead may be combat deaths as oppose to any massacre of civilians. More facts are needed, and it appears we are NOT getting them.

[oberliner]

4. Fascinating responses you've gotten to this post

It's amazing that they can read the story you posted and respond the way they did.

[geek tragedy]

8. Assadpologists are stubborn. In their eyes, you're either for Assad

or you're for genocide.

Curious psychological specimens--much like British and American leftists who supported the USSR's actions against Hungary in 1956.

[Beacool]

6. How much longer will Assad be allowed to butcher his people.

Will the world continue to watch helplessly?

Poor Syria..........

[Ms. Toad]

7. A friend of mine has family there-

their home was looted. Life savings gone, but they are as safe as can be, and alive since they were not home.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. Robert Fisk: Inside Daraya - how a failed prisoner swap turned into a massacre

I don't particularly like Fisk (undeserved reputation for expertise in the area--for the last 10yrs or so he has mainly served the interest of Saudi-Hariri money, like most of the other writers on the subject), but he presents an interesting report here.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-inside-daraya--how-a-failed-prisoner-swap-turned-into-a-massacre-8084727.html


Essentially, residents of the town are saying that the so-called "Free Syrian Army" terrorists took over the town and held civilians hostage. The alleged massacre--which was already underway long before Syrian state army units entered the town, implication being the "Free" army was killing people before any other action started--was the botched result of attempting to release the hostages and retake the town from the control of the kidnappers. As usual, hysteric and sensational initial reporting never really seems to hold up when the smoke clears--not that the PR goons peddling these defective wares care much about that.