78 Soldiers Slain as Syrian Rebels Release Video of Executions
Video Depicts War Crime in Progress, Notes Amnesty
Opposition activists reported 78 Syrian soldiers killed today in various attacks by rebel forces, as they attacked checkpoints en masse and executed captives in the Idlib Province, sparking concern of growing war crimes.
Among the incidents was a video released showing rebel forces beating captured government soldiers and then executing eight of them on tape. The pro-rebel Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the killings took place in Saraqeb, in Idlib.
The soldiers executed in the video were unarmed, and had apparently been captured at a checkpoint. Amnesty International said the video showed apparent “war crimes in progress.”
The killings add to concerns about the rebels’ shaky human rights record, even as rebel groups have continued to lash the regime for its own “massacres” in the ongoing civil war. As the war continues to escalate, the combatants seem less and less interested in keeping their detainees, with rebel groups increasingly resorting to torture and summary executions.
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MoT
November 1st, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Well well well…. So when are the American cheerleaders for this going to stand up and say "no more"?
sam
November 1st, 2012 at 9:07 pm
the rebels are under resourced, they can't hold too many prisoners. what are they supposed to do, let go of the captives so that they can come back and massacre them again? get some balance. the syrian regime has thousands upon thousands randomly.
Marcy B
November 1st, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Although these NATO Al Qaeda mercenaries did the same and worse in Libya, the total corporate media blockade on truth coming out hasn´t been quite as effective here. Hence the immense amount of heat on their sugar daddy in Washington and Hitlery Clingon´s desperate attempts to form yet another but not so obvious throat slitting ex.puppet regime . Also a major part of the free non-anglo-american/zionist world most notably BRICS, Russia & China has a fat red line drawn on yet another "humanitarian" bloodbath for israel. Turkey doing the filthy job, has burned it´s bridges and are left alone with their abandoned mercenaries in Syria. This is why they are resorting to terror attacks on anyone and anything…
Oswaldwasalefty
November 2nd, 2012 at 12:49 am
It's not a war crime. The alleged perps are Friends of the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council…I mean Syria.
antiwar7
November 2nd, 2012 at 5:09 am
So, on the rebel side, we have repeated videos of them massacring people. On the Syrian government side, what is the evidence for their alleged massacres? I haven't seen it, except for those 3 or so well-publicized massacres that turned out to be probably perpetrated by rebels.
And yet most news reports constantly depict the Syrian government forces as worse than the rebels. Where is the evidence, beyond repeated vague generalizations?
whiskeypapa
November 2nd, 2012 at 6:01 am
To paraphrase the Wicked Witch of the West: "We came, we saw, they died!"
andor
November 2nd, 2012 at 6:48 am
What's wrong with the US leadership?
Is 9/11, perpetrated by the radical Islamists, totally forgotten?
There is no motivation for the barbarians to start negotiations with the Syrian government becaus the US tells them that only regime change will do. hence, terror and murders…
mojo
November 2nd, 2012 at 8:47 am
If they were humans ' which they are not, they would have think about such situation before starting this war, if they were humans which they are not, they would have given these solders to Turkey or other country whom are in all inhuman manners help these animals. These animals are the mercenaries of the Saudis barbarian regime, a stone aged dictatorial regime helping their masters as EU tyranny (Kingdoms from Sweden to England to Belgium and Etc.) with their Liberal Fascism government to succeed in an orchestrated war helping the growth of No Liberal fascism in Europe and elsewhere. You helping these barbarians then you are part of a non human activity organized by your masters.
mojo
November 2nd, 2012 at 8:57 am
Look, EU runs by the Saudis and their dirty Oil money, a blood sucking regime with no understanding of humans and human being but their own version of terrorism conducted by their paid and feed Sunny Muslims mercenaries from Europe and elsewhere. Helping these regime is a criminal act as they are, these animals killing helpless people, unarmed solders and others just for showing that they are animals and their animosity toward Libyan and now Syrian people, Angela Markell so the David Cameron and the Neo Swedish Liberal fascism are as guilty as the Saudis killing machines sent from Europe to Syria, so goes for those who support such war.
Jaime
November 2nd, 2012 at 2:13 pm
It's because the western journalist to be "respected", they must always add "brutal" evry time they report on te Syrian government. Otherwise, their articles may not be publsihed. This is looking more and more like Pravda and Tass in censoringt with tyhe difference that those Sovier Union's journalist were censored buy their government while thse western stooges censor themselves.
Oswaldwasalefty
November 2nd, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Absolutely. It's clear that the money, supplies and weapons are going to keep coming in from the West and Gulf monarchies until the "rebels" take Damascus. As long as the "rebels" are being offered Damascus on a platter, they're not going to stop fighting. This similar to the situation with Libya last year, the only difference being that there hasn't been a U.S. led air assault against the government, yet. Under these circumstances nobody can blame Assad for taking in whatever weapons they can get from Russia and digging to fight off this foreign back army within Syria. No sovereign state voluntarily allows itself to be destroyed.
This is why calls from the U.N. for a ceasefire are a waste of time. There will be no end to flow of weapons as long as Washington policy is "Assad must go".
Of course, this is being done for "democracy". It's being backed by those democracy loving U.S. supported Gulf Cooperation Council monarchies.
CanPolat
November 2nd, 2012 at 2:36 pm
The video, available on YouTube, is gruesome. However, I am not sure where the number 78 comes from. Most reports have cited 18 soliders killed in the Saraqib crime, though there are several videos of other, similar crimes committed by both sides. The longer the fighting continues the nastier it will become. Unfortunately, this civil war has morphed into a proxy war between regional and international powers.