Syrian forces shelled the Homs province town of Houla Friday, killing at least 90 individuals, including children. According to The Guardian, the death toll is “one of the highest in one area of the country since an internationally brokered ceasefire came into effect last month.”

 

Security forces began the conflict by opening fire on a protest in Houla, to which anti-government forces responded, and then the army began to shell the area.

The Guardian reports:

“Amateur videos posted online showed many children among the dozens of dead laid out in different rooms and covered with sheets and blankets. One video showed 14 dead children lined up on a floor, shoulder to shoulder.

[…]

“The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights issued an unusually harsh statement in the wake of the deaths, accusing Arab nations and the international community of being ‘partners’ in the killing ‘because of their silence about the massacres that the Syrian regime has committed.’”

Along with shelling the town, pro-government military groups and government troops directly shot, stabbed and killed people in raids of the village streets and homes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Activists said the violence came as retribution for a large protest against President Bashar al-Assad Friday.

The United Nations has sent international monitors to Houla to investigate.

 

Reach Executive Producer Cara Palmer here or follow her on Twitter.