Aleppo, Syria // Syrian residents and the opposition expressed outrage on Wednesday at the brutal beheading of a child by a rebel group in Aleppo city, describing it as a “heinous act”.
The murder, captured in footage circulated on social media on Tuesday, was carried out by rebels who accused the boy of fighting alongside government forces.
“How could they slaughter a child like this?” said 25-year-old Bassel Zein, a barber in the opposition-held Al Kalasseh neighbourhood of Aleppo.
“He should have been tried in a fair way and maybe swapped with the regime for rebel detainees instead of this heinous act,” he said.
Other residents said the beheading tarnished the name of the opposition, and at an Aleppo mosque on Tuesday night, Imam Mohamed Badawi railed against the killing.
“This is the work of criminals, and is forbidden in Islam,” he told the congregation gathered for sunset prayers.
The boy was decapitated by members of the Nureddin Al Zenki rebel group on the back of a pick-up truck on a public road in Aleppo’s opposition-controlled Al Mashhad neighbourhood.
In the grisly footage, rebels accused the boy of fighting with a pro-regime Palestinian faction known as the Al Quds Brigade and said he was captured during fighting north of Aleppo city.
But the Al Quds Brigade denied the boy was a member, and described him as a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee.
The Nureddin Al Zenki group condemned the act as a “violation” in a statement on Tuesday, describing it as an “individual mistake that does not represent the general policy of the group”.
The organisation said it had detained those involved in the murder and established a judicial committee to investigate the incident and issue a verdict “as soon as possible”.
The killing was also condemned by the opposition Syrian National Coalition, which expressed “shock at the horrific scenes” and urged the faction to follow through on its pledge to investigate and punish the perpetrators.
“The National Coalition ... does not condone any behaviour that is contrary to the principles of the revolution and the aspirations of the Syrian people who came out to demand freedom, dignity and justice,” the alliance added.
Nureddin Al Zenki is an Islamist rebel group largely based in Aleppo province that at one point received US-made anti-tank missiles, though that support appears to have dried up in 2015.
The faction had already been accused of abuses, with Amnesty International earlier this month saying it was among several rebel factions committing war crimes and other violations of international law.
In Washington, the state department said it was aware of reports of the “appalling” incident and that involvement with the group could be reviewed.
“We’re seeking more information,” spokesman Mark Toner said.
“We’ll look at ... any affiliation or cooperation with this group we may have going forward, if these allegations are proven true,” he added.
In eastern parts of Aleppo, now under siege after being encircled by government forces, residents accused the rebels involved of besmirching the opposition’s name.
“This is a big error and will harm all the Free Syrian Army rebel factions,” said Mohamed Mansour, a resident of Al Mashhad where the execution occurred.
“There is nothing in Islam that allows the slaughter of prisoners. Islam requires captives to be well-treated, fed and cared for.”
Rights groups say war crimes have been committed by all sides in Syria’s conflict, which began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.
The government is accused of widespread torture, as well as indiscriminate fire on civilian populations.
And the ISIL extremist group has regularly carried out gruesome executions of its opponents.
* Agence France-Presse
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Company%20Profile
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
SPECS
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Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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More on Quran memorisation:
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Honeymoonish
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETribute%20Games%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dotemu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books