More than 200 people killed in Syria this week, opposition claims

More than 200 people killed in Syria this week, opposition claims

2011-12-22 15:30:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- More than 200 people have been killed since Monday alone as violence continues to escalate in Syria, the country's main opposition group claimed on Wednesday. If accurate, it would raise the overall death toll since March to more than 5,250.

The Syrian National Council (SNC), a Turkish-based opposition government in exile, condemned the regime of Bashar al-Assad for its "appalling massacres" which have left nearly 250 people killed over a 48-hour period. The group urged the Arab League and the UN Security Council to take "the necessary measures" to protect civilians.

"[The Syrian National Council] stresses the need to take action to stop the bloody campaign targeting more cities and town during the military build-up by the system," the group said in a news release.

The SNC called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the regime's 'massacres' in the Zawyiyeh mountain, Idlib, and Homs and to issue an international condemnation therefore. It also urged the UN to declare cities and towns which are being attacked as 'safe zones' which enjoy international protection, forcing the regime's forces to withdraw from these areas.

The SNC further called for the intervention of International Red Crescent and other relief organizations. It said it wants to declare the areas under attack as "disaster areas exposed to large-scale genocide and displacement operations by the Syrian regime's militias."

Other groups also reported a surge in killings this week. The Local Coordination Committees said 84 people were killed across the country on Tuesday alone, while the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a higher death toll of 100 on Monday and 111 on Tuesday.

The violence came as Syria agreed on Monday to an Arab League peace plan aimed at ending the violence in the country. The United Nations earlier this month said the death toll in Syria as a result of the ongoing government crackdown against protesters and civilians in general has surpassed at least 5,000.

Pro-democracy demonstrations have spread across the country since mid-March, resulting in a fierce government crackdown. The Syrian government has claimed violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-22