Massacred: Child victims of the crackdown

Published on 29/01/2012 00:00

THEIR tiny bodies wrapped in plastic bags, with signs in Arabic identifying them by name, these five Syrian children are believed to be some of the victims of a “terrifying massacre” that took place at the hands of Syrian government troops in the city of Homs on Thursday.

Activists say that the children – who are all believed to be under ten years old – were killed in a shelling attack by Syrian forces in the Karm el-Zaytoun neighbourhood of the city, which has been a flashpoint for much of the violence that has gripped the Middle Eastern country since last March. A Unicef report earlier this month said that 384 children had so far been killed in the uprisings. A similar number have been jailed by the regime for participating in protests.

The overall death toll in Syria now stands at more than 5,000, including soldiers and those executed for refusing to shoot civilians.

These small children are reported to have been caught in a barrage of mortar fire and attacks by armed forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.