Gunmen kill Dutch priest in Syria

A group of unidentified armed men shot dead a Dutch priest in the rebel-held old quarter of Syria's Homs Monday, media reported.

The gunmen opened fire at dawn on Father Frans van der Lugt at the Monastery of Jesuit Fathers in Bustan al-Diwan neighbourhood, killing him instantly, Xinhua reported citing state-run SANA news agency.

Activists reported the death of the priest who had lived in Syria for 30 years, saying "unknown masked gunmen" shot the priest in his head after beating him.

The 72-year-old priest refused to leave the rebel-held old city of Homs, which has been besieged by government troops for more than a year-and-a-half.

The priest preferred to stay in his monastery amid reports that he had sheltered a lot of families, who left their homes due to the shelling and ongoing battles in areas of the old Homs.

In February, the Syrian government concluded a deal with the UN to allow hundreds of civilians to leave the besieged old city to safe areas under government control. The government also allowed in relief aid to trapped people who refused to leave their homes in the badly battered part of Homs.

Syria's Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country 's population, have suffered attacks by hardline rebels.

Earlier this month, 13 nuns were released by the rebels after they spent almost three months in captivity, following the rebel attack on the Christian town of Ma'aloula in the northern countryside of Damascus.