[T]he psychological effectiveness of the CSDF concept starts by reversing the insurgent strategy of making the government the repressor. It forces the insurgents to cross a critical threshold-that of attacking and killing the very class of people they are supposed to be liberating. - US Special Forces doctrine obtained by Wikileaks

So states the US Special Forces counterinsurgency manual obtained by Wikileaks, Foreign Internal Defense Tactics Techniques and Procedures for Special Forces (1994, 2004). The manual may be critically described as "what the US learned about running death squads and propping up corrupt government in Latin America and how to apply it to other places". Its contents are both history defining for Latin America and, given the continued role of US Special Forces in the suppression of insurgencies, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, history making. The leaked manual, which has been verified with military sources, is the official US Special Forces doctrine for Foreign Internal Defense or FID. FID operations are designed to prop up "friendly" governments facing popular revolution or guerilla insurgency. FID interventions are often covert or quasi-covert due to the unpopular nature of the governments being supported ("In formulating a realistic policy for the use of advisors, the commander must carefully gauge the psychological climate of the HN [Host Nation] and the United States.") The manual directly advocates training paramilitaries, pervasive surveillance, censorship, press control and restrictions on labor unions & political parties. It directly advocates warrantless searches, detainment without charge and (under varying circumstances) the suspension of habeas corpus. It directly advocates employing terrorists or prosecuting individuals for terrorism who are not terrorists, running false flag operations and concealing human rights abuses from journalists. And it repeatedly advocates the use of subterfuge and "psychological operations" (propaganda) to make these and other "population & resource control" measures more palatable. The content has been particularly informed by the long United States involvement in El Salvador. In 2005 a number of credible media reports suggested the Pentagon was intensely debating "the Salvador option" for Iraq.[1].

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that the Turkish military would respond to any violation of its border by Syria, as he addressed parliament in the wake of Syria's shooting down of a warplane last week. - “The rules of engagement of the Turkish Armed Forces have changed,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “Any military element that approaches the Turkish border from Syria by posing a security risk and danger will be regarded as a threat and treated as a military target.” Syria [correctly] insists that the Turkish plane violated its air space on Friday. But Turkey says that although the unarmed RF-4E reconnaissance jet had unintentionally strayed into Syria’s air space, it was inside international airspace when it was brought down. The head of the NATO military alliance called the downing of the jet unacceptable on Tuesday, shortly after Turkey briefed NATO’s North Atlantic Council in discussions held under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows a NATO member to request consultations if its security has been threatened. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance condemns it “in the strongest terms,” and expressed solidarity with Turkey, but made no mention of retaliatory action.

Russia Today: Turkish jet clearly violated Syria's sovereignty – Damascus
Peter Eyre: UK media, NATO, UN hype up emotions on Turkish incident
Stephen Lendman: Syria: Gulf of Tonkin Redux?
Joseph Kishore: US seeks casus belli: Downed Turkish jet pretext for new provocations against Syria
Niall Green: US escalates war threats against Syria in response to downed plane

Boxes where parents can leave an unwanted baby, common in medieval Europe, have been making a comeback over the last 10 years. Supporters say a heated box, monitored by nurses, is better for babies than abandonment on the street - but the UN says it violates the rights of the child. - It is an unlikely scene for the most painful of dramas. On the edge of a road in a leafy suburb of Berlin, there is a sign pointing through the trees down a path. It says "Babywiege" - Baby Cradle. At the end of that path, there is a stainless steel hatch with a handle. Pull that hatch open, and there are neatly folded blankets for a baby. The warmth is safe and reassuring. There is a letter, too, telling you who to call if you change your mind. About twice a year, someone - presumably a woman - treads that path at the secluded rear of Waldfriede Hospital and leaves the baby, perhaps born in secret only a few hours earlier. That person - presumably the mother - then turns and walks away, never to see the baby again. The baby grows, but never gets to know who his or her mother was.

The Telegraph: UN criticises Europe's 'baby boxes'

In mid-June 2007, Israel tightened their closure policy on the Gaza Strip, as part of a decade’s long effort to control the economy of Gaza and the movement of its people. It must be emphasized that this was just the latest effort by Israel to issue a form of collective punishment against the Gaza Strip.

On the fifth anniversary of the illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, it is clear that Israel cannot be allowed to continue to place restrictions on the movement of goods and individuals. It is clear that the humanitarian crisis has not abated in the Gaza Strip, despite the work of many international and non-governmental organizations. Unless the closure is lifted, it will be impossible for the people of the Gaza Strip to rebuild their lives, and to secure their fundamental human rights. As a result, it is an unfortunate truth that donors will continue to fund the closure, alleviating Israel of its responsibility as the Occupying Power, and allowing the institutionalization and perpetuation of a regime of collective punishment. (Full report HERE)

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran’s nuclear program and increased economic cooperation during his visit to Israel on Monday. Putin’s Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres urged him during a meeting to help prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons that could be used against Israel. Putin avoided direct criticism of Iran, which vehemently denies allegations it plans to develop nuclear arms, but said that Russia’s national interests include maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East. [...] Regarding economics, Russia and Israel intend to work together on energy, agriculture, pharmaceutics and space industry, Putin said after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Russia could open a station of its GLONASS satellite navigation system in Israel in 2013, Russian Federal Space Agency head Vladimir Popovkin said on Monday, also in Israel. He also said he discussed the Syrian conflict with Netanyahu, but did not elaborate. On Tuesday, Putin is set to visit Palestinian territories and Jordan for talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II, respectively.

The lightning quick removal of Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo over a land dispute underscores bitter resentments here over land ownership, poverty and staggering inequality. - What exactly happened during the ill-fated June 15 operation to remove squatters from a sprawling farm owned by Blas Riquelme, a wealthy businessman, former senator and Lugo opponent, remains unclear. We do know that six police officers and 11 landless peasant farmers died, and that Lugo, a 61-year-old former Roman Catholic priest, was removed from office just eight days later after his political enemies united to oust him. The replacement of Lugo -- seen as a "champion of the poor" when he ended more than six decades of Colorado Party rule in 2008 -- has left many Paraguayan farmers fearing their miserable lot is only going to get worse. [...] Colorado Party supremo Alfredo Stroessner ruled with an iron fist from 1954 to 1989, treating Paraguay as his own personal fiefdom and routinely rewarding allies with land during a tenure marked by cronyism and corruption.Party cronies have amassed so much property that 80 percent of Paraguay's arable land is now owned by just two percent population, according to the official government figures. Paraguay is the world's fourth-largest soybean exporter, but poor farmers have profited little from the recent commodity price boom.

Operation Anvil is supposed to intercept drug trafficking, but is reinforcing a police-state approach to Honduras. - America’s drug war in Honduras continues to expand and further militarize the conflict, as Washington’s responsibility for a worsening human rights situation goes unaccounted for. The expanded mission, called Operation Anvil, is run with six US State Department attack helicopters and a special team of commando-style Drug Enforcement Administration agents who have now been implicated in the killing of Hondurans on two separate occasions, along with the increasingly aggressive Honduran security forces. Just last month, DEA agents cooperated with Honduran security forces in the killing of four civilians, including two pregnant women. In that case, the government kept it from the American people for almost an entire week, and admitted to being involved only after Honduran news media and human rights organizations began publicizing it.

Chris Floyd: Grand Tradition: Obama Does it the Old-Fashioned Way in Honduras

Focusing on stopping ballistic missiles and featuring thousands of soldiers, the October drill will simulate simultaneous rocket fire from Syria and Iran. - Israel and the US are set to hold their largest ever joint military exercise in October, featuring thousands of soldiers and advanced anti-missile defense systems, and simulating simultaneous fire from Iran and Syria. News of the drill comes amid ongoing violence in Syria, and with Israel and the US closely discussing the means to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive. The commander of the 3rd Air Force, Lt.-Gen.Craig A. Franklin, on a recent visit to Israel, established a planning committee with representatives of the IDF to coordinate the details of the exercise, the Maariv Hebrew daily reported Monday. Some 3,000 US soldiers are to participate, alongside thousands of Israeli troops. The drill will simulate missiles being fired at Israel from Iran and Syria simultaneously, with potentially tens, if not hundreds, of rockets mid-air at the same time. Israel will test its upgraded Arrow 2 defense system, while the US will deploy the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and PAC-3 Patriot air defense platforms.

John Glaser: Massive US-Israeli Military Drill Set for October

John Glaser: Four More US Ships Arrive in Gulf as Iran Feels Pressure - Four US minesweepers arrived in the Gulf over the weekend to bolster the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, secure the flow of oil shipping routes, and threaten Iran. The additional ships have an area of operations that includes the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. In addition, the two other critical shipping choke points of the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandab, between the southern tip of Yemen and Africa, are included in the mission. In response, the commander of Iran’s ground forces, Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, suggested on Monday that Iran might move to close the Strait of Hormuz to defend its interests. Th threat is an old and tired one, and one that few expect to actually happen. Flooding the Gulf with warships is certainly routine and targets no actual threat. They’re there to maintain economic and military hegemony and threaten Iran. When Obama accelerated the deployment of warships to the Gulf in 2010, the New York Times described it as “part of a coordinated administration strategy to increase pressure on Iran” and also “intended to counter the impression that Iran is fast becoming the most powerful military force in the Middle East.”

General says regime's forces are 'destroyed mentally and physically' as more cross border. - Another large group of senior military officers, including a brigadier-general, have defected from Bashar al-Assad's forces, piling further pressure on the increasingly isolated Syrian leader. The group, one of the largest to leave the Syrian army, crossed into Turkey with relatives as Nato allies prepare to discuss the shooting down of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces last Friday. Last night, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc, said a second Turkish fighter that crossed into Syrian airspace last week to look for the missing McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom was also fired at by the Syrians. It is understood that Turkey will today demand backing from its Nato allies at a special meeting that is already being looked upon suspiciously among Syrian leaders.

London courts will work extended sessions during this summer's Olympics to deal instantly with anyone committing offences linked to the Games, The Times reported Tuesday. - Courts will sit from 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and will not wrap up until 7:30 pm to ensure they deal with defendants within 24 hours of arrest, the public prosecutor told the newspaper. "Many people who come to the Olympics won't live here, so it is important that if offences are committed, we act quickly," said Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London. "People who commit offences on Tuesday will be in court on Wednesday... we are learning the lessons of the summer riots," she added. Britain was caught out last year when widespread disorder led to a backlog in the country's justice system. The proposed measures, which will also include the creation of a new "Olympics offence" category, were drawn up by the public prosecutor, police and other criminal justice agencies. It is hoped the move will deter protesters such as Trenton Oldfield, who is still awaiting trial after disrupting the Oxford-Cambridge boat race in a protest against elitism.

It was just after midnight on New Year’s Day when Antonio Buehler spotted a pair of Austin cops manhandling a woman at a gas station during a DUI investigation, so he pulled out his cell phone and began taking photos. That, of course, prompted one of the cops to storm up to him and accuse him of interfering with the investigation.

Austin police officer Pat Oborski shoved Buehler against his truck before handcuffing him. He later claimed in his arrest report that Buehler had spit in his face. Buehler was charged with resisting arrest and felony harassment on a public servant, the latter punishable by up to 10 years in prison. After spending 16 hours in jail, Buehler began seeking witnesses to the incident. “We started posting flyers around the gas station,” Buehler said in an interview with Photography is Not a Crime Sunday afternoon. “I went on Facebook and on Twitter and I put something up on Craig’s List.” By January 4, he had obtained a video from a witness who had been standing across the street watching the exchange between Buehler and Oborski.

The video doesn’t show Buehler spitting on the cop but it might be difficult to capture that from across the street with a cell phone camera. However, it does show Oborski pinning Buehler against the truck, making it obvious that the cop had stormed up to him rather than the other way around. But in the arrest report, Oborski claims that Buehler was “in my face,” which is why he had to place his hands on his shoulders to “distance him away.”

Oborski also claimed that he wiped his face after Buehler had supposedly spit on him, then pulled out the handcuffs to arrest him, but the video doesn’t show that either. All the video shows is Oborski pushing Buehler against the truck before wrestling him down to arrest him.

Partial victory for Hispanic lobby as judges begin week that will culminate in vital decision on healthcare law. - The US Supreme Court kicked off its most momentous week in a decade yesterday by overturning large parts of a controversial Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration. In another high-profile case, it also served notice that it would not retreat from a heavily criticised 2010 ruling that opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate and private donations for political campaigns. Three of the four contested provisions in the Arizona law, which was passed two years ago, were thrown out. But a clause bitterly opposed by Hispanic and other immigrant groups, that requires police to check the papers of a person they suspect is in the country illegally, was kept in place – for the time being at least.

David Cameron today signalled the end of “compassionate Conservatism” with plans for a crackdown on welfare spending for the young, the jobless and those with large families. In a speech in Kent, which appeared designed to appeal to the Tory right, Mr Cameron demanded an end to what he called Britain's “culture of entitlement”. He proposed:

■ Removing or restricting some benefits from out-of-work families with large numbers of children. This could include cuts to child benefit;
■ Scrapping housing-benefit payments to 380,000 under-25s, worth an average of £90 a week, forcing them to support themselves or live with their parents and saving the Government £2 billion a year;
■ Making the long-term unemployed carry out full-time community work or lose all their benefits.

However a key section of the speech – briefed to reporters this morning – was omitted from the final version.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Monday called for diplomatic guarantees he will not be pursued by the United States for publishing secret documents if he goes to Sweden to face criminal allegations. - The Australian, 40, said he is prepared to go to Sweden to face questioning over sex assault claims, but fears Stockholm will turn him over to the US where he could face espionage and conspiracy charges over revelations by WikiLeaks. "Ultimately it may be a matter of what guarantees the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden are willing to provide," he told the Sydney Morning Herald from the Ecuador embassy in London, where he is seeking asylum. Assange [correctly] believes Washington will pursue him after WikiLeaks published a cache of sensitive documents, including about the Afghan and Iraq wars, and thousands of diplomatic cables which have embarrassed governments worldwide.

The Mail on Sunday can today reveal devastating new claims of abuse by British soldiers carried out at a secret network of illegal prisons in the Iraqi desert.

One innocent civilian victim is said to have died after being assaulted aboard an RAF helicopter, while others were hooded, stripped and beaten at a camp set up at a remote phosphate mine deep in the desert. The whereabouts of a separate group of 64 Iraqi men who were spirited away on two RAF Chinooks to a ‘black site’ prison, located at an oil pipeline pumping station, remain unknown. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of these alleged abuses, which appear to have been flagrant breaches of international law, is that this secret network is claimed to have been sanctioned by senior Ministry of Defence lawyers. Yet the top British Army lawyer on the ground in Iraq – who was supposed to be responsible for all aspects of prisoner detention – remained completely unaware of it. Meanwhile, the Government last week introduced its new secrecy law in Parliament, which, if enacted, would mean details of the emerging scandal would be hidden for ever. The role of both the soldiers and the lawyers in the alleged prisoner abuse will come under the spotlight tomorrow, when the first stage of a legal action on behalf of some of the victims is launched. If the Justice and Security Bill becomes law, Ministers will be able to demand secret hearings, and to prevent the victims from ever seeing evidence about their claims. [More about British & American torture here.]

Daily Mail: Controversial secret justice plans 'are a charter for cover-ups' says former Army legal chief

Maya Gorkin still can't believe the extent of police violence at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, even though she was subjected to it herself. - A 24-year-old woman from Tel Aviv who was videotaped being violently shoved by a police officer during Saturday night's protest for social justice said the attack took place while she was trying to reach her boyfriend through a wall of five or six police officers who she claims were beating him. Maya Gorkin said she still can't believe the extent of the police violence at the Tel Aviv rally, even though she was subjected to it herself.

"I'm in shock," she said. "I admit that I didn't believe something like this could happen."

Gorkin was standing with her boyfriend on the sidelines of the rally when she saw police arrest a man she knew and bring him into the municipality building, which was being used as a temporary holding cell.

A United Nations Group of Experts has uncovered information revealing Rwanda’s support for a Congolese rebel leader who is wanted internationally for using child soldiers. But the UN report, completed earlier this month, has not been released because of the section about the Rwandan involvement. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has been accused of applying pressure at the Security Council in order to protect the United States’ Rwandan ally, President Paul Kagame. Kagame was reelected president in 2010 with 93% of the vote. At the center of the controversy is Bosco Ntaganda (aka “Terminator”), a former general fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government. Wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2006 on charges of forcibly recruiting children as soldiers, Ntaganda and his forces have been aided by the Rwandan military, which has provided safe haven, as well military supplies, to the rebel army. The assistance by Rwanda represents a violation of UN sanctions imposed against the providing arms to rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwandan government denies the charges.

The MV Alaed, which is carrying helicopter gunships and air defence systems on board, will put to sea within days, military officials in Moscow were quoted as saying. - The vessel, sailing under the flag of the Caribbean island of Curacao, returned to Murmansk after its insurance cover was withdrawn at the behest of the [British] government. Russia said it feared that British forces would attempt to storm the ship, a step David Cameron is said to have contemplated. Throwing down an unmistakable challenge to the Prime Minister, Moscow said the Alaed would sail again, this time under a Russian flag - meaning that any attempt to board it could trigger an international incident.

April 12, 2012: Earlier this week, Syrian government forces [allegedly] fired their weapons across the Lebanese and Turkish borders, killing a television journalist and at least two people in a refugee camp in Turkey. In response, the Turkish government summoned the Syrian ambassador to protest what was the first attack from Syria since Turkey began hosting refugees. Yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the possibility of invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and calling on NATO to protect Turkey’s border:

“We have many options. A country has rights born out of international law against border violations,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Hürriyet daily and other newspapers. “Also, NATO has responsibilities to do with Turkey’s borders, according to Article 5,” added Erdogan, whose country is a NATO member.

Russia Today: Turkish jet clearly violated Syria's sovereignty – Damascus

Peter Eyre: UK media, NATO, UN hype up emotions on Turkish incident [Jun 22, 2012] - Clearly the scene is almost set for action against Syria that believe it or not was planned almost 20 years ago and has nothing to do with the current situation and clearly shows that the UK, US, France and Germany are hell bent into forcing yet another Libya style regime change all in the name of misinformation and whom are clearly arming, funding and assisting the rebel army in Syria.

Stephen Lendman: Syria: Gulf of Tonkin Redux? - Big lies launch wars. Manufactured pretexts initiate them. On June 22, Turkey provocatively flew two warplanes at low altitude over Syrian airspace. It wanted a response and got it.

[Editor's Comment:] Lest anyone has forgotten about another relevant incident: On May 31 2010, nine Turkish civilians were killed in a vicious Israeli attack on the 'Mavi Marmara' in international waters. This attack flagrantly violated international law but did not however bring about any reaction from NATO. As for the recent incident involving the Turkish plane shot down by Syria, this was a military aircraft shot down in Syria's airspace, in accordance with the Chicago Convention. Two military servicemen were killed. In the latter case, the US & NATO now are raising hell. Something in this picture is very, very wrong. - It's a dirty game, isn't it?

Niall Green: US escalates war threats against Syria in response to downed plane - The Syrian government has said that the Turkish warplane had violated its airspace, with the SANA news agency releasing a chart of the plane’s fight path over Syrian waters and the coastal city of Latakia. A Syrian foreign military spokesman has said that the incident was “not an attack.” The statement read, “An unidentified object entered our airspace and unfortunately was brought down. It was understood only later that it was a Turkish plane. There was no hostile act against Turkey whatsoever. It was just an act of defense of our sovereignty.”

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi was declared the winner of Egypt's first free presidential election Sunday, and he proclaimed himself a leader "for all Egyptians," although he faces a struggle for power with the country's still-dominant military rulers. - The announcement by election officials touched off a joyous celebration of chanting and dancing in the sweltering heat by tens of thousands of Morsi's supporters jamming Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak 16 months ago. It also capped a week of growing political tension in the streets after authorities delayed announcing the results of the June 16-17 runoff election between Morsi and Mubarak's former prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq. Tanks and other signs of heavy security had been deployed around the country, especially outside state institutions, in anticipation of possible violence reminiscent of the first days of last year's revolution.

Barry Grey: Egyptian junta installs Islamist Mursi as figurehead president

A growing number of rootworms are now able to devour genetically modified corn specifically designed by Monsanto to kill those same pests. A new study shows that while the biotech giant may triumph in Congress, it will never be able to outsmart nature. - Western corn rootworms have been able to harmlessly consume the genetically modified maize, a research paper published in the latest issue of the journal GM Crops & Food reveals. A 2010 sample of the rootworm population had an elevenfold survival rate on the genetically modified corn compared to a control population. That’s eight times more than the year before, when the resistant population was first identified. Experts are also noting that this year’s resistant rootworm populations are maturing earlier than expected. In fact, the time the bug’s larvae hatched was the earliest in decades.

Google has set out to save the world's dying languages. In an alliance with scholars and linguists, the Internet powerhouse on Wednesday introduced an Endangered Languages Project website where people can find, share, and store information about dialects in danger of disappearing. - The website at endangeredlanguages.com is designed to let users upload video, audio, or text files and encourages them to memorialize recordings of rare dialects. Only half of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken today are expected to survive past the end of this century, according to an Endangered Languages video posted at Google-owned video-sharing venue YouTube. "Documenting...languages that are on the verge of extinction is an important step in preserving cultural diversity, honoring the knowledge of our elders and empowering our youth," Rodriguez and Rissman said. "Technology can strengthen these efforts, by helping people create high-quality recordings of their elders (often the last speakers of a language), connecting Diaspora communities through social media and facilitating language learning." Google's philanthropic arm seeded the project, leadership of which will be ceded in coming months to the First People's Cultural Council and the Institute for Language Information and Technology at Eastern Michigan University. The Endangered Languages Catalog (ELCat), sponsored by the University of Hawaii, will also be contributing to the project.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey’s president said Saturday that his country would do “whatever is necessary” in response to the downing of a Turkish military jet by Syria, adding a new complication to the tense relationship between the former allies split by Turkey’s support for Syrian rebels trying to overthrow the government.

“It is not possible to cover over a thing like this,” said President Abdullah Gul of Turkey, according to the Anatolia news agency. “Whatever is necessary will no doubt be done.” Syria said Friday that its military forces had shot down a Turkish jet that had entered its airspace just off the Syrian coast. But Mr. Gul said Saturday that while the exact route of the plane had not yet been confirmed, it was routine for military jets flying at high speeds to briefly cross into another country’s airspace, and that the jet’s presence over Syrian territory was not intended as a hostile act. The plane went down over the Mediterranean off the coast of the Syrian province of Latakia and south of the Turkish province of Hatay. On Saturday, Turkish officials confirmed that parts of the jet had been recovered.

Stephen Lendman: Gulf of Tonkin Redux?
Stephen Lendman: Turkish Plane Reported Shot Down in Syrian Airspace

At least 25 people have been killed and their bodies mutilated by what Syrian state media described as “terrorists,” as a video was released showing the bodies piled on top of each other and being described by the cameraman as a pro-Assad militia. - “These are shabiha of Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” the narrator said, referring to the opposition’s name for pro-government armed gangs, and adding that they had been killed by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) after clashes in northern Syria. The SANA state news agency cited sources as saying the victims had been abducted earlier on Friday from Darat Izza, a village in Aleppo province. Activists said 26 government supporters had been shot dead by rebels. As with most news of massacres from either side, little about the incident can be independently confirmed. But this type of behavior is consistent with earlier findings, like those from the UN, which describe crimes and atrocities being committed by the opposition fighters, including extrajudicial killings and torture.