2 Shi'ite youths executed by Islamist rebels in Syria – monitoring groupAugust 15, 2013 - 19:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Two youths from Shi'ite villages in northern Syria have been executed by members of an al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group, according to a video uploaded to the Internet on Wednesday, August 14 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Reuters said. The British-based monitoring group, which is opposed to President Bashar Al-Assad, said the execution took place on Tuesday or Wednesday in Aleppo province. The executions are the latest incident of sectarian violence in Syria's nearly two and a half year civil war, which began with peaceful protests but has descended into sectarian hatred, pitting Sunni majority rebels against Assad's Alawite sect and Shi'ite Hezbollah. In the video, two blindfolded youths kneel before a masked man who reads a statement in the name of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, one of the strongest rebel groups in Syria. The man identifies the youths as coming from Nubul and al-Zahra, predominantly Shi'ite villages in the mostly rebel-held countryside northwest of Aleppo city. He says the group kidnapped them to exchange them for prisoners but was now executing them in response to the failure of that exchange. The man exits from view after finishing his statement and voices off camera shout "God is great" before the youths appear to be struck by more than twenty rounds of gunfire and fall to the ground motionless. More than 100,000 people have died in Syria's civil war and millions have been displaced. UN investigators say Assad's forces and rebels have both committed war crimes. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |