| Houla Killings - Syria - 25-05-2012 The Houla massacre was an attack that took place on May 25, 2012, in two opposition-controlled villages in the Houla Region of Syria, a cluster of villages north of Homs. According to the United Nations, 108 people were killed, including 34 women and 49 children. While a small proportion of the deaths appeared to have resulted from artillery and tank rounds used against the villages, the UN later announced that most of the massacre's victims had been "summarily executed in two separate incidents", and that government-linked militias known as Shabiha were the most likely perpetrators.Residents say they had sent the UN a plea for help before the massacre, warning of an imminent attack by the government, but the UN monitors did not respond. The Syrian government alleged that Al-Qaeda terrorist groups were responsible for the killings, while Houla residents and opposition groups alleged that the Syrian military and government-linked militias known as Shabiha were the perpetrators. The fifteen nations of the United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the Syrian government for its role in the massacre, with Syrian allies Russia and China agreeing to a resolution for the first time. The US, UK, and nine other nations jointly expelled Syrian ambassadors and diplomats. Turkey and Japan later expelled Syrian diplomats, this increased the nations doing this to 13. |
