23 Slain 'torture victims' found near Idlib

The bodies of 23 torture victims were found on Thursday near the city of Idlib in northwest Syria that security forces captured earlier this week, a monitoring group said. "Twenty-three bodies with marks of extreme torture were found near Mazraat Wadi Khaled, west of the city of Idlib," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a statement. The Britain-based group said the 23 blindfolded and handcuffed victims had been shot dead. It also said at least five others were killed in raids by security forces across the province of Idlib on Thursday and that violent clashes broke out overnight as rebels attacked army posts in the eastern region of Deir al-Zour. On Wednesday, 37 people were killed in violence across Syria, the Observatory said.