Rebels kill 19 Syrian Alawites, seize village

Civil defense members work at a site hit by an airstrike in the rebel-controlled city of Idlib, Syria on Friday. (REUTERS)

BEIRUT: Insurgents killed at least 19 civilians believed to be from families of fighters loyal to the Syrian government after capturing an Alawite village from government control in western Syria on Thursday.
Residents from the village of Al-Zara interviewed by state media said rebels had killed women, children and livestock. The rebels said they had abided by the rules of war.
Dozens of people are still missing, believed to have been abducted from the village, which lies close to a main highway linking the western cities of Homs and Hama, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.
The Observatory said the attackers included major rebel group Ahrar Al-Sham and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front. The 19 dead, who included six women, are believed to have been killed as rebels stormed houses during their attack on Al-Zara, said the Observatory.