Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
May 29, 2012
Syria: Massacre Likely By Al Qaeda

Currently every "western" country seems to be busy to expel Syrian diplomats. So far Australia, France, the U.K., Germany and Canada have done so. Others will likely follow later today.

I believe that this is happening now to catch the headlines and thereby to cover up different rather inconvenient news item that ran a few hours ago.

After the Houla massacre the UN monitors emphasized that some ammunition debris was found in the area and that this pointed to government guilt in the killing. That was also emphasized in the UN security council press statement. But earlier today the severity of these allegations were seriously degraded:

Most of the 108 people killed in Syria's Houla region on Friday were summarily executed, the UN says.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told journalists in Geneva that initial investigations suggested that fewer than 20 of the victims in the village of Taldou, near Houla, were killed by artillery or tank fire.

"Most of the rest of the victims in Taldou," he added, "were summarily executed in two separate incidents."

Most of the people were killed by throat cutting or by direct gun/pistol fire. The killing happened in an area that is supposedly under the control of the Free Syrian Army.

How could the Syrian government be responsible for this? And why would a government with all its military might resort to such by-hand killing? How would ut supposedly benefit from this?

It is by now well known that AlQaeda like groups are active in Syria. Such are known to have created such massacres, including by beheading, in Iraq and elsewhere.

But as this becomes more clear "western" governments are busy to create some new headlines and to punish the Syrian government for something that was very likely outside of its realm of control.

Comments

Brian #88, Boutros-Ghali’s uncustomary honesty for a UN Sec-Gen and his opposition to the NATO bombing of Bosnia, cost him a second term at the UN, and made him the only sec-gen to not serve 2 terms. A small interesting observation about this 1996 event from Wiki:
“Richard Clarke (US counter-terrorism czar), Michael Sheehan, and James Rubin participated in what they called “Operation Orient Express”. Clarke wrote:
Albright and I and a handful of others (Michael Sheehan, Jamie Rubin) had entered into a pact together in 1996 to oust Boutros-Ghali as Secretary General of the United Nations, a secret plan we had called Operation Orient Express, reflecting our hope that many nations would join us in doing in the UN head. In the end, the US had to do it alone (with its UN veto) and Sheehan and I had to prevent the President from giving in to pressure from world leaders and extending Boutros-Ghali’s tenure, often by our racing to the Oval Office when we were alerted that a head of state was telephoning the President. In the end Clinton was impressed that we had managed not only to oust Boutros-Ghali but to have Kofi Annan selected to replace him. (Clinton told Sheehan and me, ‘Get me a crow, I should eat a crow, because I said you would never pull it off.’)
Richard Holbrooke wrote that the US was opposed to Boutros-Ghali because of the latter’s reluctance on approving NATO bombing in Bosnia (something that Kofi Annan supported). He notes that US opposition to the Secretary General was opposed by all its allies.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boutros_Boutros-Ghali

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 8:03 utc | 101

Syria: Translation of the experiences by ANNA journalist Marat Musin near the Syrian city of Homs.
The following text is the translation of a blog entry of the ANNA News journalist Marat Musin, who was in the region of al-Houla (Houla/Hula – near the Syrian city of Homs) last week and who has own experiences how the horrible “Houla massacre” in Syria happened and who is behind the violent and horrible massacre near Homs.
The translation about the own investigations of the journalist Marat Musin, together with Olga Kulygina, about the massacre in al-Houla (al-Houleh/al-Hula) was made with best intentions, you can find the original text of Marat Musin (ANNA News) about the horrible events in Syria at the end of the translation.
As you can see, the explanations and descriptions about the “Hula massacre” (Houla massacre) differ, but considering that Marat Musin has been near al Rastan and the location of the horrible massacre, which was not the only massacre, carried out by armed groups last week in Syria, the question remains:
Why is the UN Human Rights Council not interested in using the information of this journalist Marat Musin and Olga Kulygina for the so-called investigations of the “Houla massacre”, but relies on the typical sources like phone calls with the Syrian opposition members and so on (more information)?
etc
http://www.syrianews.cc/syria-journalist-houla-massacre-703.html

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 8:33 utc | 102

>>> its interesting that aljazeera and its lie think they can commit crimes with inmpunity: The Syrian people according to Lizzie Phelan back in january are aware of aljazeera criminal behavior:
‘And of course there is also a lot of anger toward Qatar in particular because of the coverage actually of Aljazeera, with many people accusing Aljazeera of fabricating reports of violence by the army against the Syrian people’
>”>http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220651.html>>
Brian #86, It’s to be expected and natural for the Iranian press to be saying these things in the same way it is for CNN to be cooking up stories about Syria; some still accuse Iran of having done the same during its last elections. As to Qatar, it doesn’t believe it’s doing anything criminal because of the ongoing ideological war between the moderately Salafist country and Syria. Syria took too long to start making meaningful changes.

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 8:35 utc | 103

well, talking about shaved heads and beards, they also had shia slogans on their head
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/47619394/#47619394
Alex Thomson of Channel 4 should be shamed for this, does he really think he gets real answers this way?
He embarrasses his English speaking witness who is clearly there because he speaks English with the question “how do you know they were Allawi?” so the guy has to come up with something immediately convincing.
Better questions would be “were you there?” “who told you?” “can I talk to them?” but of course Alex Thomson does not speak Arabic …
What happened to the military uniforms?

Posted by: somebody | May 31 2012 8:40 utc | 104

Making sense of Syria – by Syrian A good analysis.

Posted by: hans | May 31 2012 9:51 utc | 105

I guess, removed from the ground you chose what your thought system is used to …
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/syrias-government-sees-no-role-for-journalism-in-massacre-investigation/

Posted by: somebody | May 31 2012 10:18 utc | 106

I am awaiting the Syrian government investigation committee’s report on what happened at Houla.
In the meantime here’s a report from the UK’s Channel 4 News. One of their reporters got into Houla town along with UN observers and then stayed to talk with locals. The story he has is that the killings were done by pro-government Shia and Alawite men who had come from specific nearby Shia/Alawite villages to the south and west of Houla, especially the villages called Kabu and Felleh.
http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/searing-grief-houlas-survivors/1739
Some of Channel 4 News’s video footage of locals in Houla does support the story that the killers were pro-government militia from nearby villages. I am starting to give some plausibility to that story. Not that it’s true but that it must be kept open as a genuine possibility given the evidence set so far.
I have bookmarks of a large number of pro-government uploaders at Youtube (User channels). I’ve searched them for videos of testimonies from Houla locals about what happened. I’m not finding. I did see some a few days ago (includindg the ones linked by Brian on this board), but now I have to have my doubts about how authentic they were; the people interviewed as Houla locals may not have been locals of the actual area where the massacres happened and didn’t have actual knowledge. I have to suspect this because of the paucity since then of further supporting testimonies from locals.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 31 2012 10:54 utc | 107

Somebody and Parviziyi, the Syrian government investigating itself is not much different from Israel investigating itself after what happened during Cast Lead. I’m not suggesting that the government had anything to do with the massacre, but since all eyes are turned on Syria, it would have made more sense to have an unbiased party do the investigation. I guess there would still be a problem with that because it would be hard to find an unbiased party in this story.

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 11:18 utc | 108

The Syrian government’s representative at the UN, Bashar Al-Jaafari, said that the massacre in Al-Houla is heinous, horrifying and unjustifiable, and that those who committed will be brought to justice in Syria, adding that a committee is in charge of the investigation and is due to finish its work by Thursday or Friday, at which point everyone will know the results of the investigation and the identities of the perpetrators. http://sana.sy/eng/22/2012/05/31/422565.htm
Reading the tea leaves on Al-Jaafari’s confidence that “those who committed will be brought to justice”, the perpetrators may be as Channel 4 News reports they are.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 31 2012 11:29 utc | 109

no parviziyi 107
you may have missed this:
Syria: Translation of the experiences by ANNA journalist Marat Musin near the Syrian city of Homs.
The following text is the translation of a blog entry of the ANNA News journalist Marat Musin, who was in the region of al-Houla (Houla/Hula – near the Syrian city of Homs) last week and who has own experiences how the horrible “Houla massacre” in Syria happened and who is behind the violent and horrible massacre near Homs.
The translation about the own investigations of the journalist Marat Musin, together with Olga Kulygina, about the massacre in al-Houla (al-Houleh/al-Hula) was made with best intentions, you can find the original text of Marat Musin (ANNA News) about the horrible events in Syria at the end of the translation.
As you can see, the explanations and descriptions about the “Hula massacre” (Houla massacre) differ, but considering that Marat Musin has been near al Rastan and the location of the horrible massacre, which was not the only massacre, carried out by armed groups last week in Syria, the question remains:
Why is the UN Human Rights Council not interested in using the information of this journalist Marat Musin and Olga Kulygina for the so-called investigations of the “Houla massacre”, but relies on the typical sources like phone calls with the Syrian opposition members and so on (more information)?
etc
http://www.syrianews.cc/syria-journalist-houla-massacre-703.html
UK channek 4 ‘news’? sorry but thats about as credible as the BBC…as the dead were pro-assad,..UK 4s take reads like untrue. Id also advise you to be wary of the MSM esp from UK or US….

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 11:39 utc | 110

parviziyi is seesawing..he trusts the syriangivt(69) or he doesnt.(109)
As for me the UK media has no credibility…esp the embedded media. Musins report reads far more credibly.
The idea that channel 4s report is authentic is bizarre, given who the victims were.
Channel 4 has a history of dodgyness:
i presume this is the same group:
Channel 4 has hired a charlatan to make its science programmes
http://www.monbiot.com/2000/03/16/modified-truth/
so sorry Parviziyi but NO…id warn you to be wary of the british media esp Channel 4

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 11:50 utc | 111

channel 4 also did a classic of sleeze on climate change:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/mar/13/science.media
Such media can sound credible…when in facts its based on fraud sleight of hand deception half truths manipulation etc.

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 11:54 utc | 112

www
‘Somebody and Parviziyi, the Syrian government investigating itself is not much different from Israel investigating itself after what happened during Cast Lead.’
They are not investigating themselves..they are investigating murder…do you want the UN to do h investigation? when their behavior has been very sleezy.
ANNA media has already done an investigation…which seems to me to be credible. Unless you want to call Musin and his team liars. in which case…The alternative to all this is no investigation as noone can be trusted

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 11:59 utc | 113

NATO’s death squads responsible for Houla massacre: Analyst
Webster tarpley:
Press TV: Dr. Tarpley, the statements coming from the Western sources of the Houla massacre seem to be a mix of realities and speculations. I mean, we have the UN human rights office saying that during the massacre the government was shelling the neighborhood.
I mean, how could the military have been shelling the place if it had its own forces on the ground there?
Tarpley: I think you will find that the Western accounts are coherent with a major NATO war provocation. All honest observers know that the fundamental problem in Syria is the presence of NATO death squads that have been brought in, in large numbers, armed, fomented by the NATO states and this is now taking on a certain momentum of its own.
This is not the first time that the NATO people have tried to get a large scale massacre that they could try to inflame public opinion with.
However, I would say three on the ground eyewitness reports that I verified myself. First one comes from Fides; Fides is an Italian-Roman Catholic missionary News Service and they point to the fact that what the reality of the Houla massacre is that these fighters, right extremists, al-Qaeda or Salafi, whatever they were; came in and started targeting the Armenian Christians and the roman Catholics, the Franciscans and some others. This is one package.
Then we have a Belgian website with an author called Vox Clamantis which describes, in detail, how it was done that the hospital in Houla was burned down and the people that had been taking refuge in it were systematically massacred from up-close by the death squads not by the government.
Then, we have the Russian journalist operating in Syria, Anhar Kochneva. You can look at some of the work that she has put on the Internet where you have actual eyewitnesses speaking in Arabic and it is translated into Russian but there is also a text which you can translate into English if you want to or some other languages, which simulates the same thing.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/243821.html

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 12:03 utc | 114

we will not find out what really happened, that is my point. from the undisputed facts – people were attacked with small weapons and knives, attackers came of the direction of two villages, a large number of very young children were killed, there was a massacre, the shelling had stopped, neither the Free Syrian Army nor the Syrian Army were there, though there was an attack on Syrian Army checkpoints and shelling by the Syrian army before, people assume the attackers were Allawis/government supporters, attackers struck at two different locations (3 according to the Syrian government) at very different times, the massacre has been used to put pressure on Russia to agree on a Security Council Resolution, and to get Western opinion behind military intervention, attackers were described as Shiites, anything can be spun. and as anything can be spun maybe the massacre happened because it suited several interests.
of course a Syrian government investigation allows plenty of room for a cover up, however it is also a matter of sovereignty and I recall the 9/11 investigation was not that thorough, was it?
remains the – I think justified – accusation that Western powers are escalating the conflict aiming at regime change over the dead bodies of Syrians instead of contributing to a peaceful solution. remains the – I also think justified – accusation that Syria is repressing any dissent, peaceful or not.

Posted by: somebody | May 31 2012 12:42 utc | 115

Materials of our own independent investigationMarat Musin, ANNA-NEWSSyria, Houla, Taldao.
Q: What happened on May the 25th and the 26th in your village of Taldao? What did you see?A: I’m a citizen from Taldao, right now I live in Taldao, on the first day of the events, on Friday, the bandits mortared army checkpoint, the army returned fire an injured many of the bandits that attacked the army. The other armed men moved the injured and the man who fired the mortar to the field hospital and he’s now alive and well and his name is Said Fayez Talha Al-Aksh, his family lives in Taldao. Two days earlier the terrorists’ assistants told us that the Zero Hour is coming soon. We heard this with local terrorists, always talking about how they should create a fuss. I didn’t expect it would be this way. Until this event, they (armed terrorists) used to attack army checkpoints every Friday after the prayers (Friday prayers). They attack for several hours then things go back to normal. Some armed men carried cameras and taped everything, others carried radio telephone (walkie talkie) and we heard their conversations from inside our houses. On Friday, May the 25th, at 2 pm right after Friday prayers, an army checkpoint and the army repelled this attack. The armed group was led by Nidal Bakkour. Shortly after that, another armed group attacked another checkpoint. This second group is from a family called Al-Hallak, also locally called Al-Hassan. They attacked the checkpoint located at the mountain. The plan was that they take over the checkpoint at the mountain and the other one located at the village because they wanted to position themselves at an elevated place that allows them to easily control the checkpoint located at the village. Somebody called Nidal Bakkour and asked him to send an armed group of strangers; he called him right when the attack started. When the armed men attacked the checkpoint, 25 of them were killed.
Q: how could you know the number of dead armed men?
A: When the UN Observers came, the armed men gathered the bodies in front of the observers and claimed that they’re civilians killed by the Syrian Arab Army, I heard that personally from them when they said it to the observers and they claimed that they found the bodies inside the houses.At around 3:30 pm they secured the elevated checkpoint. They cut off the throat of one soldier and threw him from the 3rd floor. Before he died, he told them that he’s from Kafar Batna, Reef Dimashq and that he’s a Sunni like them, they told him: “now you remember you’re a Sunni?”. Then they kidnapped two soldiers one is called Abdullah he’s a Bedouin (here exact word is Shawy) from Deir Azzour and burned him alive. I didn’t see them burn him but I heard them howling that they burned a soldier, that was around 6:00 pm. As for the other soldier, I have no idea what happened to him but I heard one armed man called Akram Al-Saleh saying we won’t kill him and we will show how he joined us, i.e. defected. Shortly afterwards, they secured the army checkpoint and the police station in the city. Just against this police stations are the families’ houses. The residential buildings against this police stations are the where all those children and families that were killed. They killed all the children of Al-Sayed family, they were 3 families and 20 children. They also killed people from Abdulrazak family, 10 persons, they killed them because they support the authorities. Of Al-Sayed family they killed the family of the brother of Abdullah Al-Mashlab, the 3rd person in the Syrian parliament. He was elected on May 24th, the next day they killed his wife and 3 kids and his brother and his family as well.At 7:00 pm, Al-Farouq brigade, led by Abdulrazak Tlass, of the so-called “Free Syrian Army” arrived. He had more than 250 armed men with him from the city of Rastan, he also had 2 other groups with him one from Al-Qabo village, led by Yehya Al-Yusef, and another from Falla village.At the time of the attack, the leaders always instructed the armed men to intensify the fire during their calls to Al-Jazeera. At night, the shooting stopped.On the second day we heard them talking to each other on walkie talkies that some of the armed men should wear the Syrian Arabi Army’s uniform before the observers arrive so that they claim they’ve defected from the army and joined the armed men, and the others should dress like civilians and come to with us to the mosque, where the bodies and the observers are.They burned some farms and houses to accuse the army of shelling the area in front of the observers. I only saw the observers from far, they were surrounded by armed men who put on the Syrian Arab Army’s uniforms. A lot of people were there and saw all of that, they were of chosen families and they were calling “we want to bring the regime down” and everybody knows they’re the armed men’s relatives. The armed men got into the houses and told the people that they must leave because this is a military zone now. I didn’t go anywhere, but a lot fled the after that.When the observers arrived the armed men had occupied the empty houses and the armed men who accompanied the observers started showing the observers into the houses as if the owners were inside and they provided testimonies.Q: how does your family look at this?
A: my father is dead, but my mother and siblings, we all have the same view of these events.
Q: do many people in your village share the same view?
A: the majority of people do share the same view, but they’re scared to death. Earlier, many of them used to participate in pro-regime rallies and they used to write slogans against Daraa, the FSA and the Armed men. However, the armed men took revenge against all those who wrote by killing them.
Q: how are your relations with the nearby villages and why were these villages attacked by the armed men?A: Our relations were very good; they never harmed us or started any tension with us. However, the FSA attacked them because they belonged to other sects. One of the terrorists called Haytham Hallak kidnapped several persons from a nearby village and asked for a ransom, millions of Syrian Leras, to set the free. Another armed man called Abu Yaseer, kidnapped workers from the General Power Company because they were from a specific sect.As for the terrorist Haytham Hallak, he killed one of the kidnapped people and injected fuel in the other’s blood and you can find him at a hospital in the city of Homs.Before the events started, those armed men used to be smugglers. There are fuel pipes near our village, they put taps at those pipes and powerful pumpers, these are facts known to all the residents of the village. These armed men are originally, thieves, only a few of them have studied till the eighth grade. They kidnapped people of other sects. There was a Lebanese woman in the village who lived with her 3 kids and used to work as a janitor at the police station. The armed men kidnapped, raped, and hanged her. Then they threw her body in the fields, and dogs snapped at her body. It was a horrible and painful sight, she was completely naked. Such people can’t be called Arabs or Muslims, they’re monsters.Also when they occupied the government buildings in the village; the school, the hospital, the health center and the municipality, they burned them all and prevented the kids from studying. There were four of Al-Abbar family and one of Al-Yosef family who was an AIDS patient and is now dead, they raped a woman from Al-Nayel family and infected her with AIDS. She has a 3 months old baby, after she was raped she nursed him, and he was infected and later died because of that. At the beginning of the crisis, they attacked the hospital and stole blood bags and used them at the demonstrations, they poured blood on the demonstrators to show that they were dead or injured when fabricating videos for Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.We are peaceful people all we want is that safety is back at the village and the country. We don’t want foreign intervention, we want peace and security.http://sabinachiaburu.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/hulahoms/

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 12:48 utc | 116

somebody…what has the syrian govt got to cover up? so far their story is the one that fits the facts…not the western media or regimes

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 12:50 utc | 117

@ Brian + ‘somebody’: I repeat, I trust the Syrian government investigation committee to find out the truth about Houla and tell it to the people of Syria. The evidence available to an objective and impartial person observing from outside the country right now admits the possibility that the killers were Alawites from outlying villages. It also admits other possibilities. I gather that the usually careful pro-government news channels in Syria (Al-Ikhbaria and Addounia) are reporting NOTHING: They are deliberately waiting for the investigating committee’s report.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 31 2012 13:29 utc | 118

Occupy Syria
The terrorist “Mouhi Deen Mahmoud Shihab”…
One of the criminals and killers who committed Al-Houleh Massacre..
More evidences and names will be revealed in the coming days… So stop manipulation Mainstream channels…
———————————————————————————————
The Syrian people ask for JUSTICE..
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=184849361641274&set=a.183818705077673.38656.176531242473086&type=3&theater

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 13:34 utc | 119

except according to Crooke the style of killing is not of levantine islamic culture:
Alistair Crooke, a former British intelligence officer talks about the killings in the Houla area on Friday, 25 May, 2012. He says that it is very unlikely that soldiers would have committed such atrocities. It bears more the signature of some anti-Shia Iraqi killings squads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLN3NvaMp5I&hd=1

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 13:38 utc | 120

meanwhile ANNA is investigating Houla…and what they say does not indicate local alawaites on the rampage

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 13:39 utc | 121

UN officials acknowledge armed gangs’ role in Syria unrest
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/05/31/243895/un-armed-gangs-syria/

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 13:40 utc | 122

The Houla Massacre
The appalling massacre of 108 people, including 49 children, in Houla, Syria, dominated the Independent on Sunday’s latest front cover. Above a few short lines of commentary the banner headline read:
‘SYRIA: THE WORLD LOOKS THE OTHER WAY. WILL YOU?’
The text beneath observed:
‘There is, of course, supposed to be a ceasefire, which the brutal Assad regime simply ignores. And the international community? It just averts its gaze. Will you do the same? Or will the sickening fate of these innocent children make you very, very angry?’ (Independent on Sunday, May 27, 2012)
Readers, then, knew exactly where to direct their anger – the ‘brutal’ Syrian ‘regime’ was responsible for the massacre.
etc
http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=682%3Athe-houla-massacre&catid=25%3Aalerts-2012&Itemid=69

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 13:43 utc | 123

Thank you Brian for all the links and information you have been providing. The view of Syrian is identical to yours. We must get to the bottom and the perpetrators must be severely punished.

Posted by: hans | May 31 2012 13:59 utc | 124

In such an apalling bloody massacre, feelings may tempt jumping to conclusions, but as always, the biggest and most henious lies are most easily believed. Surely this was premeditated, and obviously there are only one winner to this crime. But the Syrians will probably force thru the truth on this one.

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 14:09 utc | 125

does the syrian govt have a history of bloody massacres? does Assad?

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 14:15 utc | 126

Nope, Syria has been brought forth as a peaceful society as an example to follow.

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 14:18 utc | 127

Re; “shaved heads and beards” — In the YouTube video of Syrian gov’t soldiers dancing at a checkpoint(?), the men have short hair, but not shaved, and none of the dancing soldiers have beards (that I detected).
So, it strikes me that men with shaved heads AND beards does not describe Syrian soldiers. But I can base that only on the few videos I’ve seen of Syrian soldiers.
In the video of the rebels @96, there was a balding guy with shaved-looking hair, and the rest had very short hair, possibly shaved heads growing out (why spend a of time at a barbershop when you’re fighting to bring down a “regime”?). Yes, and white running shoes. But, again, there’s no way to know how they all look.

Posted by: jawbone | May 31 2012 14:38 utc | 128

www @ 89 — From which source did you hear/read the info that the child described those committing the massacre were had shaved heads and beards?
T/U.

Posted by: jawbone | May 31 2012 14:40 utc | 129

Actually, I believe it was The Travel Channel who had a short ‘between the programs segment’ to that effect.

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 14:43 utc | 130

Forgive me if I’m being dense, but in the Syrian army, long square santa-style beards aren’t exactly regulation uniform, is it?

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 14:45 utc | 131

Press conference now by the Syrian Foreign Office; preliminary investigation:
600 assailants attacked 5 government checkpoints in the Houla region right after Friday prayers, Government forces held their ground. Bodies of victims did not have marks from shelling. Assailants had cannons and rocket launchers. One of the families is known to be pro-government and refuses to join the resistance. This family was attacked by the terrorists to silence it. The terrorists wanted to destabilize the country.
End of announcement.
2 journalists asked how would the government try to convince the world. The spokesman said the government simply wanted to prove that the army was not involved in the massacre.
Another journalist asked why the government did not investigate the other massacres. The spokesman is doing a lot of skating; he’s got no answers.

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 16:05 utc | 132

What seems logical to me is; rebels shot at army checkpoint, using regime-friendly civilians as human shield, army shot back, killing mostly rebels, rebels killed the human shields and fled.
What has been announced, by both sides, is those who had wounds consistent with shelling were rebels, those who were killed by knife and close-range gunshot execution were the civilian. Or have I misunderstood something?

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 16:24 utc | 133

Jawbone #129, on a news clip of the survivor-child being interviewed. The 11-year old is Ali al-Sayid and you can see him in the following video put out by the clandestine video network “Ugarit” that is responsible for most of the filmed reports shown on Jazeera, Arabia and the Western press.
In the video you can hear how Ali is being asked leading questions and how he is answering on cue. This is even better than the incubators stunt; you never know, maybe Hill & Knowlton are behind this one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9KnjNxU8nI
I’ll continue looking for the news clip which showed Ali answering all these questions but it was edited to leave out the leading questions by the Ugarit announcer and his story once edited came through as a monologue. You can tell that Ali had been very well rehearsed to accuse the army before the filming started. Neither Ugarit nor the Western press would be interested in exposing the part about the shaved heads and beards because this would point to foreigners.

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 16:27 utc | 134

Jawbone, you asked for this; couldn’t find the news clip or an unedited version of the Ugarit interview directing the boy to accuse the government of having done it:
“Houla, Syria massacre: 11-year-old boy saw entire family killed, survived by playing dead
Bassem Mroue and Elizabeth A. Kennedy, Associated Press
Published: Thursday, May 31, 2012
BEIRUT – When the gunmen began to slaughter his family, 11-year-old Ali el-Sayed says he fell to the floor of his home, soaking his clothes with his brother’s blood to fool the killers into thinking he was already dead.
The Syrian boy tried to stop himself from trembling, even as the gunmen, with long beards and shaved heads, killed his parents and all four of his siblings, one by one.
http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=6707365

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 17:06 utc | 135

I looked (googled) for the Vox Clamatis Belgian website mentioned by Dr. Tarpley in the RT interview linked to in Brian’s comment @ 114, but I can’t find it. Anyone know of it?
Thnx, Alexander, for your mention of where you heard about the child’s description of the murderers as men with “shaved heads and beards.”
And, another T/U to Brian for all his links. I found the first person eyewitness account of the unfolding events (as translated into English @ 116) fascinating. I did wonder how the woman knew so much, so many details, but…still fascinating.
And so ignored. Anything not comporting closely to the Western powers necessary Narrative, or spinnable to fit it, will fly by and then disappear down the infamous Memory Hole. I’m see it happening, but I’m still amazed that the publics of so many nations can be so easily brainwashed. Guess floods of propaganda will do that, eh?
The additional links from www @ 134 and 135 seem to indicate the Memory Hole has opened up and swallowed some inconvenient facts which at two commenters here had seen.
Very efficient, the Memory Hole. Back in 2002, a single gunman attacked people, mostly passengers, at the Los Angeles airport El Al international departure desk. I clearly remember seeing an American couple, both very shocked, saying that the El Al security people had the man under control and then they shot him. They were absolutely sure the man had been subdued by the El Al security guards. The CNN story now has the lone gunman stabbing the security chief in the back (or is it neck?) and then the security chief is forced to shoot him in self-defense. I never saw the footage of the couple’s witness statement again. It just disappeared.

Posted by: jawbone | May 31 2012 18:40 utc | 136

Oops — Vox Clamantis — thot I’d made the correction.

Posted by: jawbone | May 31 2012 18:42 utc | 137

Jawbone @ 136
How an 11-year-old survived Houla massacre

The Syrian boy tried to stop himself from trembling, even as the gunmen, with long beards and shaved heads, killed his parents and all four of his siblings, one by one.

Posted by: Alexander | May 31 2012 18:53 utc | 138

>>> Thnx, Alexander, for your mention of where you heard about the child’s description of the murderers as men with “shaved heads and beards.” >>>
I’m not Alexander, Jawbone.

Posted by: www | May 31 2012 19:48 utc | 139

11 year old boys like 11 year old girls make for emotional heart wrenching stories…the sort of story yuou look for to win over the clueless but emotive public.

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 21:58 utc | 140

‘Another journalist asked why the government did not investigate the other massacres. ‘
what other massacres, and who are these ‘journalists’?

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 21:59 utc | 141

Nope, Syria has been brought forth as a peaceful society as an example to follow.
Posted by: Alexander | May 31, 2012 10:18:00 AM | 127
ahem…i spoke of the syrian govt and Assad…not syrian society…islamic fundamentalists were aproblem in the 1980s. attempts by the then govt to negotiate proved as futile then as now…only now the fundys have the backing of the saudi US and EU autocracies

Posted by: brian | May 31 2012 22:01 utc | 142

www @ 139 — Alexander in #130 responded to my request for a source of the “shaved heads and beards” comment (a short bit on The Travel Channel). I didn’t find it mentioned in any of the written articles I’ve read about the little boy who survived, nor in the long video of the boy talking to, I gather, one of the “activists.” (Maybe I was reading too fast…)
I still would like some link I could use to the actual words of the child in order to support that side of the argument with those exposed to only Western MCM’s government approved Narrative.
I can say “commenters state X,” but that doesn’t hold much water with skeptics or true believers in The Narrative.

Posted by: jawbone | Jun 1 2012 19:58 utc | 143

I’m not sure how important the shaved heads description is: Anyone could sacrifice their hair style to get a shaved head look, if they intended to mislead. But no one could get an instand beard. But…they could have glue on beards?
I have no idea if Alawites dress, wear their hair differently than Sunnis do…anyone know?
Of course, any importance of the shaved heads and bears comes from the little boy’s statement, and if it’s gone missing then it loses probative value.

Posted by: jawbone | Jun 1 2012 20:02 utc | 144

The 11-year old boy “long beards, shaved heads” -thing, try @ 138?

Posted by: Alexander | Jun 1 2012 20:16 utc | 145

Jawbone, the shaved heads and beards are traits seen mostly only in Salafi Muslims of the Najd in Saudi Arabia, or people of other countries trying to emulate them. It could explain why some of the insurgents totally cover their heads and faces while other ones don’t. Everyone is all excited about “white shoes” or sneakers that many Syrians of all political persuasions wear because coming from China, they cost less than $10 on average.

Posted by: www | Jun 1 2012 21:22 utc | 146

>>>what other massacres, and who are these ‘journalists’?>>>
Brian, televised press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 3st by Brig. General Qassem Sleiman After that, there was a Q & A session by Dr Jihad Makdissi with about 100 journalists. The journalists that asked questions were from the Russian news, BBC, and a Syrian source. The other massacres were meant to describe the Damascus bombings and similar other incidents.

Posted by: www | Jun 1 2012 22:01 utc | 147

This bunch is responsible for what happened in Houla.
As I have said many times before, these are Mercenaries who are paid, armed and trained by US and its gang of terrorist nations, in order to destabilize and weaken Syria. Can it get any more obvious? The Mercenary openly admits that enemies of Syria are sending him arms in order to attack the Syrian Security Forces and Syrian Government, he just openly admitted that he is a Mercenary working for Syria’s enemies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVWZDWlkq7g&feature=player_embedded
note the beards and reference to their god…these are jihadis..the sort the US claims to be fighing

Posted by: brian | Jun 2 2012 1:56 utc | 148

Alexander @ 145 — t/u again for the published source of the “shaved heads and long beards” description from the little boy survivor. I read the piece twice and must have been skimming too fast. Ack. (Pounding forehead on desk….)
Graf 2:

The Syrian boy tried to stop himself from trembling, even as the gunmen, with long beards and shaved heads, killed his parents and all four of his siblings, one by one.((My emphasis)

Again, t/u.
And that poor, poor little boy. Kids are remarkably resilient, but this –this horror, these vicious, bloody deaths of his family– will be with him forever. Yet, he had the presence of mind to cover himself in his own brother’s blood. I’m trying to imagine whether he still feels covered in it, whether he felt he couldn’t wash it off. May he thrive and do well in spite of this horror.

Posted by: jawbone | Jun 2 2012 16:25 utc | 149

‘re welcome d00d. It certainly is horrible. All this for a cynical sceme to overthrow Assad. This is more than some jihadis stepping out of bounds, this is a deliberate calculated foreign (out of Pentagon) scheme that has nothing to do with islam.

Posted by: Alexander | Jun 2 2012 16:37 utc | 150

if anyone thought that Hollande would be any different than the pompous little sarkozy wrt foreign policy especially Syria, he clearly announced his course today in joint conference with Putin. Russia unmoved as Hollande says Assad must go

Posted by: dan of steele | Jun 2 2012 16:49 utc | 151