Islamic State group militants have released a video that apparently shows a mass execution within the ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
Their killers were young males, between 13 to 14. The modern settlement adjacent to Palmyra – Tadmur – is most famous for its prison, where thousands of often political dissidents were held in brutal conditions.
ISIL is known for releasing videos that show its violent treatment of soldiers fighting for the regime Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad and civilians from nations it opposes, including the United States and Britain. It is not clear when it was filmed.
Twenty-five men were shot in the head and killed in front of a large audience.
The killings are carried out in front of a relatively sparse crowd of men and some children watching from the ancient theatre's seats. Among them was a young boy.
The men waiting to be killed appear to have been beaten on the face.
Days after IS claimed Palmyra, it execute 20 men in the same amphitheatre.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, said the execution probably took place around May 27.
It was said by the Islamic State that the soldiers had been captured in the city of Homs and they had been shot and put to death inside Palmyra's amphitheater.
Syria's antiquities director Mamoun Abdelkarim says "using the Roman theatre to execute people proves that these people are against humanity".
On Thursday, Daesh said its militants had destroyed six archaeological pieces from Palmyra that were confiscated from a smuggler.