Beheadings and Accountability in Syria

Ibrahim Al Assil

Security, Syria

Human-rights violations by the armed opposition can be reduced.

On July 18, a teenage boy was brutally beheaded in Aleppo, in plain sight, by Nour al-Din Zenki, an armed opposition group that formerly received military support from the United States. A few hours after this horrific incident, the group released a statement condemning the beheading and absolving itself of any responsibility for the actions committed by the Zenki fighters. This public condemnation appeared to be the result of direct pressure on the group by numerous activists, civil-society groups, and local media. Although the statement cannot undo the horrific war crime committed by the fighters, it is a clear sign that armed groups can still be pressured by civil society and media to rethink—and in this case even publicly regret—their crimes. However, absent real accountability in Syria, the violence will continue to escalate and only worsen with time.

Nour al-Din Zenki was formed in late 2011 and participated in the Battle of Aleppo in 2012. In early 2014, the Zenki movement declared ISIS as an enemy and fought the terrorist group in Aleppo. It benefited from U.S. military and financial support in 2014 and 2015, and may still be supported by the United States.