Syrian rebels say hostages 'Iranian soldiers'

by AlJazeeraEnglish

A brigade of the Syrian rebel army has posted an online video claiming that the 48 Iranians it kidnapped were members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, and has warned Tehran of further abductions over its support for the Syrian government.

Forty-eight Iranian pilgrims were kidnapped from a bus in the Syrian capital on Saturday, the Iranian embassy consular chief in Damascus, told Iran's state television.

"Armed terrorist groups kidnapped 48 Iranian pilgrims on their way to the airport," Majid Kamjou told the IRIB network, which gave the report on its website.

In the video released on Sunday, fighters of the al-Baraa Brigade of the Free Syrian Army said that they had "captured 48 of the shabiha [militiamen] of Iran who were on a reconnaissance mission in Damascus".

"During the investigation, we found that some of them were officers in the Revolutionary Guards," said a man dressed in an FSA officer's uniform, showing documents taken from one of the men, who appeared in the background.