Report: Syrian Forces Kill American, British Citizen
Syrian state-run television reported Thursday that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed three Westerners, including an American woman and a British citizen, who they claim were fighting with the rebels and were found with weapons and maps of government military facilities.
Syrian TV identified the woman, releasing what it claimed were images of her Michigan driver’s license and U.S. passport. It also released what is said was the name and passport of a British citizen. It did not identify a third person who it claimed was a Westerner.
The report said the three were ambushed in their car in the flashpoint city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, where government forces have been battling rebels for control.
TV footage showed a bullet-riddled car and three bodies laid out. It also showed weapons, a computer and a flag belonging to the militant al-Nusra Front. The U.S. State Department has said the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian opposition group, is linked to al Qaeda in Iraq, which has long operated in Iraq and neighboring Syria.