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The recent massacre that killed over100 people in Syria's central village of Houla has apparentlyhammered more nails into the coffin of the peace plan brokered byUN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan and opened theappetite of the super powers to divulge the possibility of militaryintervention in Syria had there be a consensus. ATROCIOUS MASSACRE INFLAMES COMBUSTIBLE REGION The recent attack on Houla, a group of villages 25 kilometersnorthwest of the central city of Homs, had claimed the lives ofmore than 108 people, including at least 49 children under the ageof 10 and 32 women. The Syrian government and the opposition traded barbs over thebloody attack that didn't even spare children. The Syriangovernment categorically denied any involvement of its troops inthe carnage and accused armed groups of carrying out the killingsin order to frame the government before the advent of Annan toSyria. Opposition activists, meanwhile, accused the regime forces ofshelling the village, adding that pro-government militias have donethe bulk of the killings after the army's alleged bombardment. Syria has set up an inquiry committee to probe the circumstances ofthe carnage to bring the assailants into trial. It said the resultof the investigation should be out in three days. Activists claimed that Houla, consisting of three Sunni villagessurrounded by five Alawite ones, came under heavy shelling fromSyrian forces, allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad's Alawitesect, and later on by raids and attacks from supporters of theSyrian regime who had allegedly stormed into houses and stabbedwomen, men and children, apparently in revenge attacks for staginganti-government protests. Syria said the massacre only played in the hands of the armedopposition and that it was impossible for the Syrian army to getinvolved in such acts because it would only hurt the Assadadministration and boost the argument and position of the armedrebels, who has been for a long time calling for an internationalmilitary offensive on Syria as the sole way to drive out Assad. Observers believe the Syrian army is able to demolish the armedgroups in the country within a short time but said it couldn'tbecause that would hurt many civilians in the process, given thefact that those armed groups are launching their assaults on thegovernment troops from residential areas, meaning they are hidingin populated areas and any attack on them would hurt many innocentscivilians. The Houla massacre has come after simmering tensions between Sunniand Alawite sects, especially in the restive areas of Syria, likethe central province of Homs, amid reports of mutual abduction andkillings on both sides. Such sectarian rift has also reached the Christian minority inSyria that supports the regime particularly out of worries aboutthe show of force by ultraconservative Islamists. Sectarian conflicts in Syria recently spilled over into neighboringLebanon where Sunni and Alawite Muslims have been at each other'sthroats. Disturbing reports have also recently emerged about the involvementof al-Qaida in the chaos in Syria. The Syrian government accusedal-Qaida of capitalizing on the chaos in Syria to implement itsagendas. SIMMERING VIOLENCE PUTS ANNAN'S INITIATIVE TO SLEEP With both sides blaming one another for the unabated violence inthe country, Annan said in Damascus Tuesday that his six-pointpeace plan is not being implemented as it must be. Annan said heappealed to Assad for "bold steps now -- not tomorrow, now -- tocreate momentum for the implementation of the plan." Annan stressed that "the violence must stop and the six-point planmust be implemented.. I need the President to act now. I needother parties to do their part." Despite Annan's repetitive calls, the peace plan that callsprimarily for a full cessation of violence in order to pave the wayfor a political settlement, has done little to stem the violence. I am an expert from coalarmdetector.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Optical Smoke Detector , China Smoke and Heat Detectors, Optical Smoke Detector,and more.
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