Activists: Syrian troops shell central regions

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Syria's foreign ministry spokesman has denied government troops were behind an attack on a string of villages that left more than 90 people dead.

• 

  By Bassem Tellawi, AP

  Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi denied on Sunday that government troops were behind an attack on villages.

By Bassem Tellawi, AP

Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi denied on Sunday that government troops were behind an attack on villages.

Friday's assault on Houla, an area northwest of the central city of Homs, was one of the bloodiest single events in Syria's 15-month-old uprising.

Jihad Makdissi told reporters in Damascus at a Sunday news conference that Syria is being subjected to a "tsunami of lies" blaming the government. He said anti-government gunmen carried the attack.

"We categorically deny the responsibility of government forces for the massacre," Makdissi said.

Makdissi says a committee was sent to investigate the case and results should be out within three days.

He added that U.N. envoy Kofi Annan will be in Syria on Monday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.?

caucus results exton ricky williams kurt warner kurt warner missouri primary minnesota caucus