Extremist group claims responsibility for killing in Syria

DAMASCUS - An al-Qaida-inspired group claimed on Monday responsibility for the killing of 13 people, who were found killed last week in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zour province, state-run SANA news agency reported.

The UN supervision mission in Syria reported last Wednesday that 13 bodies were discovered overnight near Deir al-Zour.

Those bodies were found in the area of Assukar, some 50 km east of Deir al-Zour, said Sausan Ghosheh, the spokesperson of the UN supervision mission, adding that all the bodies had their hands tied behind their backs, and some appeared to have been shot in the head from a short distance.

The state news agency didn't disclose the identities of the killed, or whether they were army or security members.

The extremist group, calling itself al-Nusra to Protect the Levant, has claimed responsibility for a number of suicide bombings and other attacks that targeted security installations across Syria.

Some experts believe that al-Nusra has links with al-Qaida in Iraq.

The head of UN observers' mission revisited Deir al-Zour Sunday after last week's incident and met with a number of officials and opposition figures there.

"Overall our visit was very positive," the observers' spokesperson told Xinhua Monday.

Also on Monday, a suicide bomber riding a car rigged with explosives detonated himself in northern Idlib province, leaving many people injured, including a child.

Local media report said the blast occurred near a military headquarter in the area, adding that six army members were injured. Yet, the official media has said nothing about the incident.

The violence in Syria is on the rise with no foreseeable end at a time when the international community is still trying to revive the six-point peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan that was meant to bring a peaceful and political end to Syria's 15-month-old crisis.

Earlier, the Turkey-based Military Council for Syrian Opposition reportedly announced that it's not committed to Annan's plan anymore and that it had carried out attacks on government troops in order to "protect people."

The statement was carried by the Lebanese al-Khabar news website.

The Syrian opposition seems to have been more frustrated with the mission of the UN observers that has so far done little to stem the simmering violence in the 15-month crisis in the country as clashes between the Syrian troops and the armed rebels soared.

On Thursday, Riad al-Asaad, leader of the rebels Free Syrian Army (FSA), urged Kofi Annan to formally announce the failure of the truce.

Also, Burhan Ghalioun, leader of Syria's main opposition party in exile, the Syrian National Council said Saturday he would welcome an Arab military action in order to end the alleged attacks by the government troops.

Observers believe that the Syrian crisis is careening into a civil and in some cases a sectarian conflict, as assassinations, killings and other incidents have become daily occurrences.