BEIRUT (AP) — Armed elements of the Syrian opposition have carried out serious abuses including the kidnapping and torture of security force members, an international human rights group said Tuesday as the country's yearlong uprising transforms into an insurgency.Army defectors and other government opponents have taken up arms to drive out President Bashar Assad by force, adding another violent dimension to a conflict that has killed 8,000 people since last March.
"The Syrian government's brutal tactics cannot justify abuses by armed opposition groups," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Opposition leaders should make it clear to their followers that they must not torture, kidnap, or execute under any circumstances."
The Syrian opposition says Assad's opponents have been forced to take up weapons because government troops used tanks and snipers on peaceful protests. But the regime has used rebel attacks to justify its crackdown, saying terrorists and foreign extremists are driving the revolt.
Human Rights Watch also has received reports of executions by armed opposition groups of security force members and civilians. Read More
