Syrian government threatens to execute 21 rebels in the next 24 hours
The Free Syrian Army, which has waged a rebellion against the government of President Bashar al-Assad since June, said it had received information that 21 of their number are to face a firing squad within the next 24 hours.
The rebels said they would retaliate against government forces and militiamen loyal to the regime in the city of Homs, an opposition stronghold, if the executions take place.
"I have a personal message for the army: If the army executes these men, there will be a very harsh retaliation against them here in Homs," Abdul-Razaq Tlas, the commander of one of two rebel battalions in the city, told the Daily Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8964855/Syrian-government-threatens-to-execute-21-rebels-in-the-next-24-hours.html
