Massacre reported in Syria; '566 bodies found'
Opposition activists report highest number of victims discovered in single day since Syrian civil war began
The bodies of at least 566 people who were killed over a six-day period across Syria were found Sunday, CNN reported Sunday.
Quoting the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an opposition group based in the country, CNN said this was the highest number of victims discovered in a single day since the war began in March 2011.
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At least 450 bodies were found in the Damascus suburb of Jadidat al-Fadel, LCC activist Abu Aasy said.
Over the past six days, some 3,000 members of the security forces stormed the area, and the dead include at least 300 civilians and 150 members of the Free Syrian Army, he said.
CNN stressed it could not independently verify death tolls or other accounts of violence in Syria as the government severely restricts access by international journalists.
On Sunday, it was reported that Syrian forces and militiamen loyal to President Bashar Assad killed at least 85 people when they stormed a Damascus suburb after five days of fighting. Opposition activists described the attack as a "massacre", including of women and children, at Jdeidet al-Fadel.
Jamal al-Golani, a member of the Revolution Leadership Council opposition group, said the number of dead may be higher than 250, mostly shot at close range, but the presence of army patrols made documenting all of them difficult.
Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition called on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from the country immediately, as activists said regime troops supported by pro-government gunmen linked to the Lebanese Shiite militant group battled rebels Sunday for control of a string of villages near the Lebanon-Syria border.
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