Massacre in Homs: Syrian Doctors Say Over 100 Bodies Collected in Last 48 Hours

Tanks Continue to Shell Residential Neighborhoods

Though the Assad regime announced a “general amnesty” on state television for all “misled” rebels and has promised to follow through with the reforms mandated in an Arab League deal signed earlier this week, violence continued to escalate nationwide.

This was particularly true in the city of Homs, where doctors reported that they’ve amassed more than 100 corpses in the last 48 hours and tanks continue to shell residential neighborhoods.

The violence is largely centered around Baba Amr District, and human rights groups report that troops have sprayed the neighborhoods with “heavy machinegun fire” today, killing a large number of people.

Exactly what the Assad regime is thinking with the latest offensive is unclear, as they still insist they intend to follow through with the Arab League deal, which the Arab League says needs to be done within 15 days. It seems the reconciliation talks they were hoping for are unlikely to be productive, however, if the regime is seen massacring as many protesters as possible in the lead-up to the deadline.

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.