Syria’s bloodthirsty Brits blamed for beheadings

Bloodthirsty British jihadists in Syria are responsible for a string of atrocities including beheadings and crucifixions, claims a senior rebel commander.

Brigadier-General Abdulellah al-Basheer of the Free Syria Army also warns that the British extremists could return to these shores to “continue on their pernicious path of destruction”.

In a letter to The Times, the rebel commander pleads with Britain to send arms to the moderate Syrian opposition to help them deal with the threat of the Sunni Islamist group the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). The terror unit uses such extreme violence that it has been condemned even by al-Qaeda.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

General al-Basheer writes: “They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists. We the Syrian people now experience beheadings, crucifixions, beatings, murders . . . Many who participate in these activities are British.”

British MPs say that a debate on policy towards Syria is long overdue. The threat potentially posed by returning jihadists is of particular concern. “That in itself is worthy of proper discussion,” said the former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

Britain currently provides non-lethal support, including communications equipment and body armour, to moderate rebels in Syria. The government has thus far ruled out providing arms, which it fears could fall into the hands of a growing number of terrorist groups in the warzone.