A/HRC/24/46 7. There are reasonable grounds to believe that pro -Government forces have unlawfully killed the Qadrou family. Jdeidat Al-Fadel, western Damascus countryside, 21 April 2013 8. Accounts collected confirmed that thousands of internally displaced persons were in the area of Jdeidet Al-Fadel when Government forces launched a military operation on 15 April. With the participation of the 100th Regiment and 4th Brigade, all access points to the area were blocked by Government forces whereas heavy shelling from army bases west of the town targeted residential areas inside, causing a number of casualties. Some accounts state that the FSA had successfully overtaken a checkpoint outside Jdeidet Artouz which prompted the Government’s response. As fighting intensified, particularly between 15 and 21 April, thousands of civilians along with a number of anti-Government fighters were blocked inside the town. Hundreds of Government snipers were positioned on the town’s exit points. Snipers and soldiers positioned at the town exits killed many civilians trying to flee the hostilities. Anti-Government forces attempted to accompany thousands of civilians out of the area of combat but the blockade and the military operation made this impossible. 9. Collected evidence gave reasonable grounds to believe that Government forces executed a number of inhabitants once they took control of the town, including the Imam of the Mosque and his family. Al-Bayda, Banias, Tartus, 2 May 2013 10. On the morning of 2 May, the army surrounded Al-Bayda and blocked the main exit points. Extensive shelling preceded the operation leading many civilians, especially those living at the edge of the village, to flee to surrounding agricultural areas. At approximately 7am Government forces entered with a force of 60-70 soldiers, establishing sniper positions around the main village square. Government forces proceeded to raid various streets in the village as members of the National Defence Forces joined the operation. Hundreds of civilians were arrested while some were executed in various locations. Evidence indicates that between 40-60 bodies were laid out in one room, a mobile phone shop, near the square. The bodies appear to have been burned. The victims appeared to have been first arrested and then executed in the square area. Some of the victims also appeared to have been hit in the head with blunt, heavy objects. Bodies of 30 women, also apparently executed, were found in a house not far from the centre while tens of bodies were strewn in the streets. Between150-250 civilians were allegedly killed. Testimonies were consistent that members of the National Defence Forces were actively involved in the raids and in many cases leading them. 11. Findings indicate that armed opposition was not present or actively engaged in hostilities in the village of Al-Bayda or its vicinity in the lead-up or during the alleged massacre. Some of the accounts suggest that Government forces were chasing a small activists’ cell in the village which it accused of facilitating the defection of regular soldiers from the army. It is evident, however, that the type of military operation and the alleged massacre that ensued were not in the context of an armed confrontation. Government forces with the support of the National Defence Forces operated freely throughout the day on 2 May in and around the village. There were no reported deceased pro -Government forces. The area where the village is located was under the full control of government forces. Accordingly, there are reasonable grounds to believe that government forces and affiliated militia including the National Defence Forces are the perpetrators of the Al-Bayda massacre 31