Dozens of bodies recovered from river in Aleppo
Iran Press TV
Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:15PM GMT
The bodies of dozens of Syrian civilians have been recovered from a river in the northern city of Aleppo, the second time that large numbers of bodies had been pulled from the same river.
According to Syrian sources, at least 50 bodies were found by Queiq River in the western Bustan al-Qasr district on Sunday.
Pro-government websites have blamed al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front for the massacre. The victims, some of them with their hands behind their backs and deep head wounds, are believed to be supporters of President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports say a number of children are among the victims. Videos of the gruesome discovery were posted online by activists.
Locals say the river has become a dumping ground for corpses and that they pull bodies out of the river almost every day.
In January, the bodies of more that 80 people were dragged from the same river in one of the biggest massacres to have taken place in Aleppo.
Most had their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to the head.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
In a key speech on January 6, Assad called for an end to the terrorist operations inside Syria and urged "concerned states and parties" to stop funding, arming and harboring militants.
He also said that his government is always ready to hold talks with the opposition and would call for a "comprehensive national dialog" after foreign parties end their support for the militants and the terrorist activities cease in the country.
HM/JR
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