Hillary Clinton condemns Syria 'atrocity' in Houla

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday condemned the 'atrocity' of the deaths of 92 people in the Syrian town of Houla, joining global calls for world action to end the bloodshed. -- PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday condemned the 'atrocity' of the deaths of 92 people in the Syrian town of Houla, joining global calls for world action to end the bloodshed.

Mrs Clinton said the United States would work with its international allies to increase the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad and his 'cronies' after the reported massacre, saying their 'rule by murder and fear must come to an end.'

'The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms yesterday's massacre in the Syrian village of Houla,' Mrs Clinton said in a statement released by her spokesman.

The Unitede Nations mission said 92 bodies, 32 of them children aged less than 10, had been counted in the central Syrian town of Houla after reports of an artillery bombardment by Assad's forces.