...”why would the rebels kill their own neighbors—women, children and all? Such an action would seem to be poor public affairs work”....
For the same reason they were doing so in Egypt...it’s not the rebels (homegrown fighters) it’s the MBS just as happened in Egypt.
Assad’s father had to deal with them (MBS) in his country and so has Asssad now...he made it perfectly clear from the start when they were infilitrating the rebel ranks, that he was fighting terrorists...and so did the rebels.
This has the clear earmarks of the MBS all over it....this is exactly how they operate in every country they send their thugs in.....they pit one side against the other until it gets so hot the International enters the picture....(just like they did in Egypt). They are doing the same in Syria...
The radicals kill thier own every single day. They just usually use bullets and bombs. They probably picked an unpopular part of towm. Say one with a few christians.