The Syrian National Council (SNC), one of the top rebel factions in exile, has condemned yesterday’s video showing fighters summarily executing captured soldiers, and has called on the rebel factions to hold fighters to account for violations of international law.
The video showed eight detainees executed in Saraqeb, in the Idlib Province, and early reports suggested it was the result of a Free Syrian Army (FSA) attack on the town. The FSA is now trying to pin it on a Salafist faction, however, and is denying responsibility.
The SNC’s calls to hold the killers responsible is going to add to tension among the rebel factions, as the Obama Administration has announced that the SNC is no longer part of the rebellion and has promised to appoint new rebel leaders, though there is serious doubt as to whether the US can just do that.
The UN has also expressed concern about the executions, saying that assuming the video is genuine it is almost certainly a prosecutable war crime and will be addressed at some point in the international court.
