UN: Syrian Troops Blocked Access to Site of New Massacre Claims

UN Monitors 'Fired Upon' According to Report

UN ceasefire monitors attempting to investigate rebel claims of a massacre in the tiny farming village of al-Qubeir were prevented from accessing the site today, having been stopped at a military checkpoint near the region.

UN officials familiar with the situation say that the monitors were stopped at the checkpoint by both troops and “civilian supporters,” and that the monitors were fired upon, though details of that portion of the incident have not been detailed.

The Assad regime has yet to respond to the claims of a massacre in Qubeir, with the rebels saying at least 78 civilians and possibly over 100 were killed in the area. Syrian state media reported only nine deaths in the village, and attributed it to “armed terrorist groups.

Qubeir is the second reported massacre in less than two weeks. The previous one, in Houla, was initially attributed by the rebels to regime shelling, but after this was disproven both regime and rebels blamed militias loyal to the other side for the killings.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.