Rights group accuses opposition of slaughter

Night falls on a Syrian rebel-controlled area as destroyed buildings, including Dar Al-Shifa hospital, are seen. Photo / AP

Extremist groups in the Syrian opposition are responsible for the mass killing of civilians, executions and hostage-taking in the countryside of northwestern Syria, says Human Rights Watch.

The rights group says an investigation into a military offensive by the rebels found strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

During the offensive, which began in rural Latakia on August 4 and lasted for two weeks, it said at least 190 civilians had been killed and more than 200 hostages taken.

The rights group said in its report issued yesterday that at least 67 of the victims were executed or unlawfully killed in the attack on pro-government villages.

"These abuses were not the actions of rogue fighters," said the acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, Joe Stork. "This operation was a co-ordinated, planned attack on the civilian population in these Alawite villages."

The attack is the latest in a series of incidents that show the increasingly sectarian nature of the conflict in Syria.

The coastal region of Latakia is home to the majority of Syria's Alawites, the minority sect to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.

Extremist groups within the largely Sunni opposition have been known to target Alawite and Christian areas in retaliation for government attacks against rebel-held territory.

Among the groups involved in the offensive was al-Qaeda offshoot the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham and its affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.

Other Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and Suquor al-Izz were also involved in the operation.

In recent months, clashes between extremist rebels and more moderate groups within the opposition have been on the rise.

The Human Rights Watch report said at least 20 distinct armed opposition groups participated in the operation they termed the "campaign of the descendants of Aisha, the mother of believers", the "Barouda offensive", or the "operation to liberate the coast".

Human Rights Watch has previously documented war crimes and crimes against humanity by Syrian Government and pro-government forces. These include torture and illegal executions.

- Independent