BEIRUT (Reuters) - Sunni Islamist rebels in Syria have claimed responsibility for kidnapping at least 94 women and children belonging to President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect, according to a video published on Thursday.
The civilians were abducted in August from villages in rural Latakia, the president's coastal stronghold. The rebels said they were holding the hostages to secure the release of opposition supporters from government detention.
