Members of Assad’s Sect Blamed in Syria Killings (Published 2012)

Scores of Syrian civilians belonging to President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect were killed Tuesday in the first known Alawite massacre since the Syrian conflict began. But the killings, in the village of Aqrab, happened under circumstances that remain unclear. Rights organizations researching the massacre said Wednesday that members of the shabiha, a pro-government Alawite militia, were