Video May Show Rebels Executing Syria Soldiers

If it's legit, Amnesty International calls it a war crime
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 2, 2012 6:25 AM CDT
Video May Show Rebels Executing Syria Soldiers
In this picture taken on Oct. 31, buildings destroyed by shelling from Syrian forces are seen in Homs.   (AP Photo/Lens Yong Homsi)

Syrian rebels have killed 28 soldiers at three army checkpoints, including about 10 who were reportedly shot after surrendering, Reuters reports. The latter executions, apparently caught in a (graphic) video, are a "potential war crime," says an Amnesty International spokeswoman, reports the New York Times. The incident "demonstrates an utter disregard for international humanitarian law by the armed group in question."

The rebels in the town of Saraqeb, along a major highway connecting Damascus and Aleppo, called the soldiers "Assad's dogs," kicking them and forcing them to lie on top of each other before firing, according to the video, which has not been authenticated. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the executions were the work of the rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-influenced group. (More Syria stories.)

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