U.S. Joins Condemnation of ‘Massacre’ of Syrian Civilians

The U.S. condemned acts by government forces of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad after “credible” reports of the killing of more than 90 people in Houla, “including stabbing and ax attacks on women and children,” according to a White House statement.

France and the U.K. urged increased international support after the May 25 violence in Houla, a town in Homs province. Government forces killed more than 32 children under the age of 10 and more than 60 adults, according to UN mission head General Robert Mood, who cited United Nations military and civilian observers who viewed the bodies. The observers confirmed the use of artillery and tank shells fired at a residential neighborhood in an attack that Mood called a “brutal tragedy.”