At least 65 people were found killed execution style in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, according to activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group claims to provide objective information about casualties on both sides of the conflict in Syria.
The Observatory adds that the death toll could still rise as high as 80. It wasn’t clear who carried out the killings, reports Reuters .
The 65 bodies were found dead with their hands bound and were apparently shot in the head. A video was posted showing at least 51 male bodies in the mud along the Queiq River in a neighborhood of Aleppo held by rebel fighters.
The video showed the victims with blood seeping from their heads. Some of them appeared to be young and they were dressed in jeans, shirts, and sneakers.
A bearded man in another video after the bodies were moved from the river stated, “They were killed only because they are Muslims. A pickup truck with a pile of bodies was parked in the background.
While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 65 bodies found, the Local Coordination Committees activist group put the death toll at 80, according to ABC News .
The almost two-year-old conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people. Because Syria is closed to the media, it is impossible to know, except by witness reports, who is responsible for the killings. The United Nations reports that more than 700,000 people have fled the country.
There was no claim of responsibility or blame laid for the 65 bodies found executed in Aleppo.
