By Louise Fahey*
As new information about Thursday's massacre in Tremseh continues to be made public, Kurdish activist, Medud Perik, has urged the international community to step up their level of opposition to Assad forces in Syria.
Speaking to Rudaw, Perik, who is also a member of the Center for Civil Society and Democracy in Syria, criticized the international community for their inadequate response to the escalating levels of violence in Syria.
He said: “Unfortunately, despite the fact that they know this regime will never give up without a practical intervention to stop the killing in Syria, the international powers have been only condemning these inhumane acts for more than sixteen months.”
Although the United States has deemed the Syrian leadership as murderers following the assault by Assad forces in Tremseh, a town located approximately 25km north-west of the city of Hama, consensus has yet to be reached by the international community as to how an end to the violence can be brought about.
Initial reports of a civilian massacre in the town have been contradicted by United Nations (UN) observers deployed there to carry out investigations, who believe it was the homes of army defectors and activists that were targeted.
According to a statement by UN spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh: "A wide range of weapons were used, including artillery, mortars and small arms."
Syrian authorities however have today rejected claims from the UN that they used heavy artillery and helicopters in the clash.
Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, spokesman for the Syrian foreign ministry, Jihad Makdissi, stated: "Government forces did not use planes, or helicopters, or tanks or artillery. The heaviest weapon used was an RPG (rocket propelled grenade)."
Louise Fahey is a project assistant at the UNPO Brussels Advocacy office.
DM/AKnews