Ribal Al-Assad condemns Aleppo massacre

Massacre plunges Syria deeper into 'horror' spiral

30 January 2013

AFP

UNITED NATIONS — The man tasked by the United Nations with finding an end to the war in Syria warned Tuesday that the country faces "unprecedented levels of horror" and is on the verge of splintering.

Even as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi delivered his grim message to the UN Security Council, rebel fighters in the battlefront city of Aleppo found the bodies of 78 young men, all executed with a single gunshot.

It was not clear which of the warring parties was behind the massacre. Rebels blamed Bashar al-Assad's regime, but state media said that a jihadi Islamist opposition faction had carried out the killings.

Whatever the truth, the killings added to an atmosphere of despair as the UN and Arab League envoy arrived in New York to brief the Security Council.

Diplomats at UN headquarters said Brahimi had reported that he had made "no progress" in efforts to establish talks on a political transition in a country where 22 months of war have left more than 60,000 dead.

"The tragedy does not have an end," Brahimi said, adding that Assad's legitimacy has been "irreparably damaged" but warning that the regime could still cling to power and perpetuate the bloodshed indefinitely.

"I'm sorry if I sound like an old broken record," he added, according to diplomats. "The country is breaking up before everyone's eyes. Only the international community can help, and first and foremost the Security Council."

Assad's forces have become more repressive, the veteran troubleshooter and former Algerian foreign minister was quoted as saying, but he insisted both the state and the rebel opposition are committing "equally atrocious crimes."

Brahimi told the council he was very worried about countries around Syria, which face a growing risk of "contamination" from the conflict.

"Most regional parties have aligned with one of the parties in Syria," Brahimi said. "There might be implications if the crisis continues spiraling. The refugee flow is becoming a matter of controversy in these countries."

"Syria is becoming a playground for competing forces," he declared. "None of the neighbors is immune to the fallout consequences of the conflict. The region is facing the risk of contamination."

n Aleppo, rebel fighter Abu Seif said 78 bodies had been retrieved from the Quweiq River and that 30 more were still in the water but could not be reached because of the threat of Assad snipers.

Hundreds of distressed people watched as muddied corpses were dredged from the Quweiq.

"The regime threw them into the river so that they would arrive in an area under our control, so the people would think we killed them," Abu Seif said.

A government security official blamed "terrorists" -- the regime term for the rebels -- for the carnage.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the official SANA news agency said the jihadist Al-Nusra Front carried out the executions.

Al-Nusra, which has gained notoriety for its suicide bombings, has become a key fighting force, leading rebel attacks throughout the embattled country.

Its suspected affiliation to the Al-Qaeda offshoot in Iraq have seen it added to the US list of terrorist organizations.

"My brother disappeared weeks ago when he was crossing the regime-held zone, and we don't know where he is or what became of him," said Mohammed Abdel Aziz.

Volunteers heaped bodies on a truck. They were then taken to a school where they were laid out and covered.

"We do not know who they are. They were not carrying papers," one volunteer said as bodies were taken to a local school.

Commenting on the killings, Ribal Al-Assad, the Director of the ODFS, said:

"I condemn this heinous crime. An independent investigation must be carried out and the perpetrators brought to justice. I call on both sides in the Syrian conflict to end the violence and move towards dialogue and a peaceful transition as that is the only way forward."