Rebels in Syria Execute Pro-Assad Fighters in Latest Offensives
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights dozens of soldiers and pro-Assad militia fighters were killed earlier this week as rebels made advances in the north and south of Syria.
From Reuters:
Insurgents have focused on taking isolated army outposts, mostly in rural areas while forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have made gains in recent months around the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs.
One video, posted on YouTube on Wednesday by a rebel group calling itself the Supporters of the Islamic Caliphate, shows around 30 bodies of young men piled up against a wall. Blood is splattered on the wall and one corpse is smoldering.
"Tens of Assad's (militia) killed," says a man off camera. He said the footage was filmed in the area of the northern town of Khan al-Assal which was taken by rebels last week.
The Obama administration is moving forward with plans to arm rebels in Syria. However, exactly how these weapons will be delivered remains to be decided. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said in a letter to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that, "We must anticipate and be prepared for the unintended consequences of our action." One such unintended consequence could be American weapons being used by groups like Supporters of the Islamic Caliphate. How the Obama administration plans to prepare for the more unpleasant elements of Assad's opposition getting their hands on American weapons remains to be seen. Given the chaotic situation in Syria it's hard to see how any plans could ensure extremist rebels in Syria don't receive American weapons.