Syrian rebel group that beheaded boy ‘was in US-vetted alliance’
A Syrian opposition group whose members beheaded a child captive near Aleppo on Tuesday had been part of a US-vetted alliance and been supplied with anti-tank missiles until a year ago.
Images of the killing are widely seen as among the most shocking of the war and continued to receive condemnation, with Amnesty International describing the killing as having “truly plumbed the depths of depravity”.
This appalling incident appears to point to a pattern of abuses by armed groups
A US State Department spokesman described reports of the killing as “appalling” and said proof that the killers were linked to the group, known as Nour al-din al-Zenki, would lead to any further backing being stopped.
Nour al-din al-Zenki had previously been accused of committing atrocities in its stronghold of northern Aleppo. Such claims led to the US cutting ties with the group in early 2015.
As Syria has unravelled over the past four years, abuses have been rampant on both sides, with summary executions, forced disappearances, starvation sieges and indiscriminate targeting of civilians becoming commonplace.
Amnesty’s Middle East director, Philip Luther said: “All detainees, including captured fighters, must be treated humanely, and children in particular must be protected. This appalling incident appears to point to a pattern of abuses by armed groups in northern Syria who have free rein to commit summary killings, abductions and torture without any prospect of being held accountable.