Syria says 25 killed by militants

DAMASCUS, Syria, June 22 (UPI) -- Armed militants were responsible for the killing 25 people in a village in Aleppo province, the official Syrian news agency said Friday.

Opponents of the government said the men were killed in an attack in Darat Izza by the Free Syrian Army, The New York Times reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group with headquarters in Britain, said a video it posted on YouTube proved the dead were members of the military or the Shabiha, the secretive pro-government militia, the opposition said.

Some of the bodies shown in the video were in military uniform and others in black garments typically worn by the Shabiha.

The opposition said at least 10 people were gunned down during Friday prayers in the city of Aleppo, the BBC reported.

The Syrian Arab News Agency said the 25 dead were among a larger group that had been kidnapped and that the bodies had been mutilated.

SANA and other official news media wouldn't say if those killed were in the military or the militia, calling them only "citizens."