Syria Militants Destroy Religious Sites: HRW

Human Rights Watch said that armed groups in Syria attacked religious sites in the northern part of the country.

The rights organization said on Wednesday that the militants appeared to have destroyed religious locations following a four-day investigation in the provinces of Latakia and Idlib.

A Husseiniyah was destroyed by the militants in Idlib, while two Christian churches were looted in Latakia, the rights body stated.

“Human Rights Watch researchers observed what appeared to be deliberate damage to the local Husseiniya,” caused by the militants after they entered the village of Zarzour in December.

The rights body further stated that Syria’s opposition has failed to control the armed militants who are engaged in “looting and other criminal activities, like kidnappings.”
The Middle East director at the Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah Whitson said that Syria “will lose its rich cultural and religious diversity if armed groups do not respect places of worship.”

Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed since chaos broke out in Syria nearly two years ago.

According to a UN report, militants from nearly 30 countries have been filtered into Syria to fight against the government. Most of the militants are extremists.