Two Syrians charged with war crimes in Germany

German federal prosecutors said on Friday, December 22 that they had charged two Syrians with “war crimes” committed in Damascus a decade ago, as part of the Islamic State (IS) group.

The two men, identified as Mohammad A and Asmael K, as per German privacy laws, were arrested in March and are accused of membership of a foreign terror organization and “hostage-taking resulting in death”.

Asmael K was also charged with murder and killing people protected under international law. Mohammad A is believed to have joined the Islamic State group at the latest in 2013 and to have served as a commander of 200 fighters.