Syria civil war
Free Syrian Army fighters attend to a wounded comrade after exchanging fire with regime forces in the Seif El Dawla neighbourhood of Syria's south west city of Aleppo - Reuters Reuters

Not less than 200 people have been slaughtered by President Bashar al-Assad's forces near the Syrian capital Damascus.

Dozens of bodies were found in Daraya town. According to opposition activists, the killings took place in execution style.

"Assad's army has committed a massacre in Daraya. In the last hour, 122 bodies were discovered and it appears that two dozen died from sniper fire and the rest were summarily executed by gunshots from close range. Assad's army has committed a massacre in Daraya," said an activist, according to Reuters.

The unverified claim by the activists group also suggests that the massacre victims include dozens of women and children. Most of the victims were shot in their chest and head suggesting they were killed during house-to-house raids by Assad's troops.

Syrian forces started conducting such raids in the past few months as part of their latest strategy against rebels.

All eight members of a family including three children and their mother were reported to have been shot dead by the security forces. All the bodies were found in a mosque in Daraya. The exact death toll in the massacre however varies.

Snipers belonging to Assad's forces are reported to be on constant watch in the region and allegedly kill at random anyone who walks down the street.

Even the makeshift hospitals are not spared by the regime's forces and many of the injured are often considered dead even without preliminary checks.

Many videos have been uploaded by the activists substantiating their claim although they cannot be independently verified.

The state news agency did not directly confirm the attack but said the town has been "purified of terrorists".

"Our heroic armed forces cleansed Daraya from remnants of armed terrorist groups who committed crimes against the sons of the town and scared them and sabotaged and destroyed public and private property," said the regime-backed news agency.

The latest assault is part of a series of attacks by Assad's forces against the rebels and the death toll, if confirmed, will be one of the highest in the 17-month-long uprising.

Scores of other lives have also been claimed by the forces across Syria including in Aleppo, Homs, Deraa and Hama. Most of the towns too have previously witnessed massacres.

Previous massacres carried out by the Syrian regime.

Hama Massacre: 220 Slaughtered by Assad Forces in Village of Tremseh [GRAPHIC VIDEO]

Syria Civil War: Heart-Rending Images of Aleppo Bloodshed [VIDEO/PICTURES]

Syrian Carnage: Never-Ending Nightmare of a Brutal Regime [WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES]