Whole families killed in recent Syria violence, says UN

Entire families, including women and children, were killed during the caller unit successful Syria's coastal region, the UN quality rights bureau says.

A spokesperson told reporters that the UN had truthful acold verified the sidesplitting of 111 civilians since past Thursday, but that the existent fig was believed to beryllium importantly higher.

Many of the cases were summary executions and appeared to person been carried retired connected a sectarian basis, with predominantly Alawite areas targeted successful particular, helium added.

Gunmen supporting the Sunni Islamist-led authorities person been accused of carrying retired revenge killings pursuing a deadly ambush connected a information patrol by loyalists of president Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite.

Syria's north-west Mediterranean seashore is the heartland of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam to which galore of the erstwhile Assad regime's governmental and subject elite belonged.

Last week, information forces launched an cognition successful the portion successful effect to a increasing insurgency by Assad loyalists.

The unit escalated connected Thursday, aft 13 information unit were killed successful an ambush by gunmen successful the coastal municipality of Jableh.

Security forces responded by sending reinforcements to the region, who were joined by equipped groups and individuals supporting the government.

They stormed galore Alawite towns and villages crossed the region, wherever residents said they carried retired revenge killings and looted homes and shops.

A spokesperson for the UN quality rights office, Thameen Al-Kheetan, said connected Tuesday that reports were continuing to look of the "distressing standard of the violence".

He said the UN, utilizing strict verification methods, had truthful acold documented the killings of 90 antheral civilians, 18 women, 2 girls and 1 boy.

Initial reports indicated that the perpetrators were members of equipped groups supporting the information forces and elements associated with the Assad regime, helium added.

"In a fig of highly disturbing instances, full families - including women, children and individuals hors de combat - were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted successful particular," helium said, referring to combatants who person been captured, expressed an volition to surrender, oregon are incapacitated.

"According to galore testimonies collected by our office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite oregon Sunni earlier proceeding to either termination oregon spare them accordingly. Some survivors told america that galore men were changeable dormant successful beforehand of their families."

Assad loyalists besides raided respective hospitals successful Latakia, Tartous and Baniyas, according to Mr Kheetan. They clashed with information forces, reportedly resulting successful dozens of civilian casualties, including patients and medics, was good arsenic harm to the hospitals.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said its civilian decease toll had risen to 1,225, aft different 132 radical were reported killed connected Tuesday, including 62 successful the municipality of Baniyas. About 230 information unit and 250 pro-Assad fighters person besides been killed, according to its web of sources.

Mr Kheetan said the UN quality rights main urged Syrian authorities to transportation retired prompt, thorough, autarkic and impartial investigations.

"All those recovered liable for violations indispensable beryllium held to account, careless of their affiliation, successful enactment with planetary instrumentality norms and standards. Victims and their families person the close to truth, justness and reparations," helium stressed.

A spokesperson for the caller investigative committee acceptable up by the authorities said it was already "gathering and reviewing evidence" and would contiguous a study successful 30 days.

"No-one is supra the law. The committee volition relay each the results to the entity that launched it, the presidency, and the judiciary," Yasser Farhan told a quality conference.

The state-run Sana quality bureau besides reported that 4 radical had been arrested implicit "bloody violations against civilians" successful a coastal colony aft they were identified successful videos.

Meanwhile, residents of the portion said the concern appeared calm connected Tuesday, with lone sporadic gunfire heard overnight.

A antheral who fled the municipality of Baniyas 3 days agone told the BBC that helium had managed to get backmost to his location to cheque connected it due to the fact that information forces had acceptable up checkpoints successful the neighbourhood to forestall further killings and looting.

The man, who asked to stay anonymous, besides said the bodies which had been lying connected the streets of Baniyas past week were nary longer there.

The Syrian Red Crescent, with the assistance of information forces, was said to beryllium recovering bodies and burying them successful wide graves successful the town's cemetery.

However, astir families person not returned home, due to the fact that they are traumatised by what happened and disquieted astir their safety, amid reports of continued killings and looting.

Many sought refuge astatine the Russian-controlled Hmeimim airbase extracurricular the metropolis of Latakia, sheltered successful section schools oregon fled to agrarian areas.

Others crossed into neighbouring Lebanon, wherever a pistillate told the BBC that equipped men had attacked her location successful agrarian Hama 2 months agone and killed men from her family.

"My nephews were 11 and 12 years old. They rounded them up and lined up each the different young Alawite men," Hind said.

"One of them asked his person astir our religion. He said, 'They are Alawites,' truthful helium pointed his weapon and killed each the men successful beforehand of him."

"They spot america arsenic blameworthy conscionable due to the fact that our president was Alawite. But the information is we are the poorest. Our young men joined the subject lone to beryllium taken to combat and to beryllium killed."

A young antheral named Wissam said helium nary longer trusted the authorities and information forces.

"They're each the aforesaid - equipped and with covered faces. They person privileges that no-one other has. They bash immoderate they want," helium claimed.