A/HRC/24/46 Ras Al-Nabe', Banias, Tartus, 3 May 2013 12. The incidents at Ras Al-Nabe' are closely connected to the events of Al-Bayda the preceding day. News spread that the National Defence Forces, with the support of the army, were moving towards the village as part of the same operation. Hundreds of civilians attempted to leave the village through the regular checkpoints but were pushed back. Some of the inhabitants managed to flee through dirt roads as main access roads to the village were blocked. Government forces proceeded to shell the village from various locations, including from a bridge connecting the village to other areas including Al-Bayda. Shelling lasted for approximately an hour before pro-Government forces moved in. 13. As they raided the village, civilians were captured and executed. The commission reviewed evidence of families that had been executed, including children, as part of the operation. Testimonies of those who witnessed the aftermath described bodies lying in the streets for days before the inhabitants could safely return to collect them. Some of the bodies appeared to have been hit with heavy or sharp objects, especially in the face and head area. According to reports the numbers killed is between150-200. As in Al-Bayda, there is no indication that the armed opposition was active in the village. The operation did not occur in the context of a military confrontation. Government forces were in full control of the area. 14. Based on an analysis of the evidence, there are reasonable grounds to believe that pro-Government forces perpetrated the 3 May killings in Ras Al-Nabe'. Khirbat Al-Souda, Homs, 15 May 2013 15. On 15 May, anti-Government armed groups attacked a checkpoint at the railway linking Homs and Tartus. In retaliation for this incident, Government forces from the checkpoint shelled and raided Khirbat Al-Souda, a small village five kilometres north of Homs city, killing 16 people, including two women and a three-year-old child, and burned their bodies. 16. In eight incidents detailed above, reasonable grounds exist to believe that the war crime of murder was committed by Government and pro-Government forces, including the National Defence Forces. Anti-Government armed groups Hatla, Dayr Az-Zawr, 11 June 2013 17. On June 11 at approximately 5:45 am, several anti-Government armed groups, including members of Jabhat Al-Nusra, attacked the Shi'ite areas of Hatla, a mixed, but Sunni-majority, village located in eastern Dayr Az-Zawr. In the ensuing fight, antiGovernment armed groups defeated the outnumbered and outgunned Shi’ite fighters. More than 20 were killed and some were captured. Ten anti-Government fighters were killed during the attack. 18. During the takeover, anti-Government armed group fighters conducted home invasions, killing and summarily executing (by shooting at close range) many Shia including at least 30 civilians, among them children, women and elderly. Fighters also set civilian houses and a Shia mosque on fire as they shouted sectarian slogans. 19. There are reasonable grounds to believe that the anti-Government fighters who attacked Hatla unlawfully killed at least 20 civilians in violation of international law. In relation to the 11 June killings in Hatla, anti-Government armed groups involved have committed the war crime of murder. 32