(CNN) -- Syrian forces shelled Houla early Thursday,
opposition activists said, days after shadowy men went door-to-door in
the town slaughtering entire families in their homes.
The attacks started
shortly after United Nations observers left the town, said a local
resident whom CNN is not naming for safety reasons.
Government troops fired
dozens of mortars and rockets, killing two people, opposition activists
said. An additional young boy was killed by sniper fire, according to
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
CNN cannot confirm death
tolls or reports of violence from Syria because the government limits
access to the country by foreign journalists.
The reported attacks
highlight a conflict that has spiraled out of control as the call for
President Bashar al-Assad's ouster that began in March 2011 has devolved
into a brutal crackdown against the protesters by the government.
In the massacre in Houla
on Friday, most of the more than 100 victims killed were children and
women, sparking international outrage that led Western nations to expel
Syrian diplomats in a coordinated move against the regime.
The United States, the
Netherlands, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain,
Bulgaria, Turkey and Canada announced that they are expelling Syrian
diplomats.
Susan Rice, the U.S.
ambassador to the United Nations, said the massacre was carried out by
Shabiha militias or local gangs acting on behalf of the regime.
Syria has repeatedly
denied involvement. Bashar Jaafari, the nation's U.N. ambassador, said
the government will finish its investigation into the massacre this
week.
"And all of us will know for sure the identity of the perpetrators," he said.
Since the conflict began, the government has blamed the violence against civilians on armed terrorist groups.
Alex Thompson, chief correspondent for Channel 4 News, visited Houla and expressed skepticism about the government's claim.
"The question you have
to ask is, 'How was it 100 armed militia were able to come in and
slaughter family after family, in an area which was an intensive
shelling zone prior to them arriving, and yet when they came in the
area, no shells fell on them?'" he told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on
Wednesday night.
Syrian opposition
fighters issued the government a Friday afternoon deadline to cease
fire, pull out troops from residential areas and allow humanitarian aid.
The Free Syrian Army,
which mainly comprises of military defectors, did not say what will
happen if the government fails to comply.
"Our national, moral and
humanitarian duty make it necessary for us to defend and protect our
civilians and their cities, towns, blood and dignity," the group said in
a statement.
The ultimatum lists a
series of demands in a peace plan implemented last month and brokered by
United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan.
"Immediately halting
gunfire and all violence, pulling out all the troops, tanks and
machinery from residential areas, allowing humanitarian aid to reach all
stricken areas, releasing all prisoners and allowing media access,"
said Col. Qasim Saad Eddine, the group's spokesman.
Eddine also called for
freedom to demonstrate, an end to attacks on U.N. monitors in the nation
and a dialogue on power handover.
Despite the Annan peace plan, violence has continued almost daily.
Clashes continue
unabated, with regime forces and police shelling a Homs neighborhood
Thursday, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.
A day earlier, at least
74 people were killed nationwide and 13 bound and shot bodies were
discovered in eastern Syria, the head of the U.N. observer mission said.
The United Nations
estimates 9,000 people have died since the protests began last year,
while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.
China and Russia have
reiterated their rejection of any military intervention in Syria. As
permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, both have used their
veto powers to block two resolutions against al-Assad, saying more
balanced resolutions are needed.
source: cnn
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