[Faline]

The bodies of more than 200 people, including women and children, have been found in a town close to Damascus after being killed by Syrian troops, according to opposition activists.

They said most of the victims were discovered in houses and basements of buildings in Daraya and had been shot by President Bashar al Assad's forces conducting house-to-house raids.

Pictures of Syrian army tanks said to be taken in the town also emerged.

Pro-government television has blamed terrorists for the attacks.

The official state news agency said: "Our heroic armed forces cleansed Daraya from remnants of armed terrorist groups who committed crimes against the sons of the town."

Opposition activist Abu Kinan said: "Assad's army has committed a massacre in Daraya."

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said if confirmed, the massacre "would be an atrocity on a new scale requiring unequivocal condemnation from the entire international community".

He added that it "highlights the urgent need for international action to bring an end to the violence, end this culture of impunity and hold to account those responsible for these terrible acts".

The Daraya Coordination Committee activists' group said in a statement that among those found with shots to the head were eight members of the al Qassaa family: three children, their father and mother and three other relatives.

Their bodies were found in a residential building near Mussab bin Umeir mosque in Daraya, the group said.

Due to restrictions on non-state media, it is impossible to independently verify the accounts.

Video released by activists showed numerous bodies of young men side-by-side at the Abu Suleiman al Darani mosque in Daraya, many with what looked like gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

"A massacre," said the voice of the man who appeared to be taking the footage.

"You are seeing the revenge of Assad's forces from the people of Daraya: more than 150 bodies on the floor of this mosque."

Mohammad Hur, another activist in the town, said 36 bodies of young men were found in the morning in one building, along with several badly wounded people who could not be transferred to hospitals in the area because the army had occupied them.

"We are in the process of identifying the bodies and documenting how they died. Initial evidence shows that they were mostly shot at close range in the face, neck and head, execution style," he said.

The army overran Daraya, one of a series of large, mostly run-down Sunni Muslim towns that surround Damascus, on Saturday after three days of heavy bombardment that killed around 70 people.

The attack was part of an army campaign to regain control of the outskirts of the capital, a mixture of built up areas and farmland where rebels had regrouped and relaunched guerrilla attacks on Mr Assad's forces.

Meanwhile, Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor has confirmed that Syrian Vice President Farouk al Sharaa has not defected from the Assad government.

Tim Marshall spoke to Mr Sharaa in the Syrian capital and wrote on Twitter: "I am with the Syria Vice President. In Damascus. He has not defected."

Officials had been forced to issue repeated denials amid rumours that Mr Sharaa - the most senior Sunni Muslim in the Damascus regime - had joined the opposition.

[Sharon]

How atrocious If we go in there to help, all the anti-war lobbyists will emerge, despite the fact we'd be there to help those people - we can't win!

[Stimm]

Get rid of the rebels and you'll see the imagenary problem of Assad's forces disappear. You don't think he massacres hundreds of civilians for shits and giggles when the entire world is watching him, do ya? The rebels are no strangers to killing of civilians. Why wouldn't they kill a few more, frame Assad and garner more support against him? Only if the source was independant, reliable and backed up claims with proof would I believe anything that comes out of that country.

[kellyhound]

they will always blame eachother and future will tell what really went on.

[ices]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

How atrocious If we go in there to help, all the anti-war lobbyists will emerge, despite the fact we'd be there to help those people - we can't win!

I wouldnt go in there even if they did keep their gobs shut.

I dont want my money being spent trying to calm those muslim savages. They're as bad as each other.

[lroy10]

Originally Posted by ices ↗

I wouldnt go in there even if they did keep their gobs shut.

I dont want my money being spent trying to calm those muslim savages. They're as bad as each other.

The Syrian conflict and anyone going into Syria to openly help either side has bigger worries to deal with than money, or people pissing and moaning about war or which side is the lesser of two evils. There are to many countries with vested interest in the surrounding areas that are good with the current events and either outcome because they are big enough to continue to thrive and protect themselves regardless of who wins. Anyone that goes into Syria in any kind of military capacity is gonna have to deal with them as well.

[rob666]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

How atrocious If we go in there to help, all the anti-war lobbyists will emerge, despite the fact we'd be there to help those people - we can't win!

How are we going to help? The Rebels are a bunch of Muslim lunatics, and Assad is a Dictator.

Which side should we help? Neither side is worth it.