IS video shows mass killings in Palmyra

The IS video shows 25 men in green and brown military uniforms being shot dead by teenagers on the stage of Palmyra's ancient amphitheater.

In the footage, an audience of men and some children appear to be watching on from the theater's seats. A massive version of the "Islamic State" (IS) black and white flag is seen hanging behind the executioners, all of whom are clad in desert camouflage and brown bandanas.

The murders reportedly took place soon after IS captured the Syrian desert city on May 21, driving out President Bashar al-Assad's government forces. The amphitheater murders allegedly shown in the video were first reported by the Britain-based monitor Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, one week after the group took the city.

At the time, Syrian Antiquities Director Mamoun Abdelkarim told the AFP news agency that he feared the killings could signal the start of "the group's barbarism and savagery against the ancient monuments of Palmyra."

"Using the Roman theater to execute people proves that these people are against humanity," he said.

Palmyra's Greco-Roman ruins were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The capture of the city, which has a history dating back 4,000 years, sparked international fears the extremist group would damage the site's ancient treasures.

IS has destroyed several heritage sites in its advance across Iraq and Syria, including the cities of Mosul, Nimrud, Hatra and Khorsabad. The group is not believed to have damaged the ruins at Palmyra, although there are reports the militants have planted explosives among some of the ruins, blown up shrines, and destroyed a statue outside the city's museum.

The United Nations has reported that some 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the government cracked down on a pro-democracy movement in 2011. Some 12.2 million people need help, including more than 5 million children. About 7.6 million are internally displaced and more than 4 million have fled Syria.

nm/sms (AFP, dpa)