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| Rebels massacre 60 Shia Muslims in Syria |
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The insurgents attacked the village of Hatlah in eastern Deir Ezzor province on Tuesday, took control of it and killed 60 Shia residents, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
A Syrian government official denounced the attack, saying it was a "massacre" of civilians.
It was the latest high casualty incident in Syria's conflict, which has killed more than 80,000 people so far, according to the United Nations.
Hundreds of rebels took part in the attack and at least 10 of them were killed in the fighting, reports said.
In Damascus, a government official said the rebels "carried out a massacre against villagers in which older people and children were killed." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The fighting in Deir Ezzor province came a week after Syrian troops, backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah, captured the strategic town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border after nearly three weeks of fierce battles that killed dozens of troops and rebels.
Hezbollah's involvement in the Qusayr battle underlined the resistance movement’s commitment in support of the Syrian government.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed.
Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.
In addition, several international human rights organizations say the militants operating in Syria have committed war crimes.
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