SYRIAN REBELS MISTAKENLY BEHEAD BOY
An unidentified boy, who looks to be around 10 years old, was caught in the figurative crossfire between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the rebel group Nour al-Din Zenky Movement. The rebel group initially claimed that the boy was a prisoner of the pro-regime forces, hence the beheading. However, after a denial by the regime forces that the boy had anything to do with their movement, the rebel group acknowledged their error, with the leaders releasing a statement saying that they will take all steps to follow up on the killing, making sure those who did it would be punished. Despite the group’s condemnation of the killing, Amnesty International, along with the Syrian National Coalition, a group of rebel forces allied against Assad and his forces, have both expressed their shock at the killing. Amnesty International says that this is evidence of the increasingly bloody nature of the conflict, as well as the rebels’ continued plunge into “the depths of depravity”.