Syrian rebels kill 60 pro-government Shia fighters

Damascus, June 13 (IANS/AKI) Syrian rebels killed 60 Shia Muslim pro-government fighters in the east of the country, near the border with Iraq, Britain-based activists said.

The bloodbath took place near Hatla in Dayr az-Zor province, the opposition Syrian Human Rights Observatory group said on its Facebook page.

The group also posted an unauthenticated video of the attack.

"Various rebel factions" were responsible for the killings, said the group, which relies for its information on a network of activists and doctors inside Syria.

The rebels also burned down homes in the attack.

Syrian government sources, however, said civilians were massacred by the rebels.

Al Qaeda-aligned Sunni extremist group Al-Nusra Front has been linked to previous sectarian killings in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011.

--IANS/AKI

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