Reports said on Friday that the civilians were killed on Monday after the town fell to the militants. The victims were all shot in the head.

A number of military personnel were also summarily executed in addition to the civilians, according to the reports.

Most of the town is currently under the control of the militants. Khan al-Assal was the location of a chemical attack earlier this year that left 30 people dead.

On July 9, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations said that Russian experts collected samples at the site of the attack in the town.

The samples were examined at a laboratory in Russia which is certified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the results of the analysis prove that a missile fired by the militants was filled with sarin, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin stated.

Britain, France, and the United States have accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons. Damascus has denied the charges, saying it was actually the militants who used chemical weapons on several occasions.

On June 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the materials collected by the US government allegedly proving that Syrian troops used chemical weapons would not meet the requirements of the Hague-based OPCW.

The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following intervention of western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government boosts its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent about warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.

SHI/SHI