UN: Both sides in Syria conflict commit war crimes

BEIRUT -- A United Nations commission said Monday fighters on both sides in Syria's civil war have committed atrocities and should be brought to justice, while European foreign ministers extended an arms embargo in hopes it would limit the ability of both sides to wage war.

The announcements had little resonance inside Syria, however, where rebels fought to capture air bases in the north and the forces of President Bashar Assad shelled rebellious areas throughout the country.

The spreading violence inside Syria despite international efforts to stop it reflects the dilemma that Syria's nearly 2-year-old conflict poses for the international community.

Despite pleas from the anti-Assad opposition, even sympathetic powers are resistant to providing arms, fearing they'll fall into the hands of Islamic extremists in the rebel ranks. International calls for a negotiated solution have gone nowhere, mostly because both sides still seek military victory.

In this context, the report issued yesterday by the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry on Syria served as a grim state-of-play on the brutal conflict that the UN says has killed some 70,000 people since March 2011.

The 131-page report detailed deepening radicalization by both sides, who increasingly see the war in sectarian terms and rely on brutal tactics to advance their cause, spreading fear and hardship among civilians. The report accused both sides of atrocities, while saying that those committed by rebel fighters have not reached the "intensity and scale" of the government's violations.

Regime forces and its associated militias have committed crimes against humanity, the report said, citing murder, torture and rape. It said rebels have committed war crimes, including murder, torture, looting and hostage-taking.

The report also accused both sides of using child soldiers, citing the presence of fighters younger than 18 on the government side and under 15 among the rebels.