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OF MOSTLY GOOD GUYS.
HERE'S OUR PENTAGON
CORRESPONDENT, CHRIS LAWRENCE.
HEY, CHRIS.
>> Reporter: HEY, JOE.
IT'S NOT OUR JOB TO TELL YOU HOW
YOU SHOULD REACT TO THIS VIDEO,
BUT YOU MAY FEEL IT IS VERY
GRAPHIC, SOMETHING THAT YOU
DON'T WANT CHILDREN TO SEE.
WE JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU THAT
WARNING NOW AHEAD OF TIME AND
ALSO TELL YOU THAT THIS WAS --
THAT "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS
REPORTING THAT THIS VIDEO WAS
GIVEN TO THEM BY A FORMER REBEL
WHO WAS DISGUSTED AT WHAT HE
SAW.
THE MEN ARE STRIPPED TO THEIR
SHIRTS AND KNEELING.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYS THIS
VIDEO WAS JUST SMUGGLED OUT OF
SYRIA AND SHOWS A REBEL
COMMANDER EXECUTING CAPTURED
SYRIAN SOLDIERS IN APRIL.
IT'S SHOCKING, BUT SOME
LAWMAKERS SAY THEY'VE SEEN
CLASSIFIED REPORTS THAT SUGGEST
HALF OF THE REBELS ARE
EXTREMISTS.
>> THE BRIEFINGS I'VE RECEIVED,
UNLESS I'VE GOTTEN DIFFERENT
ONES OR INACCURATE BRIEFINGS, IS
50%.
>> Reporter: SECRETARY OF STATE
JOHN KERRY ARGUES IT'S AS LOW AS
15%.
>> THERE IS A REAL MODERATE
OPPOSITION THAT EXISTS.
>> Reporter: KERRY AND
REPUBLICAN JOHN McCAIN BOTH
CITED REPORTING FROM AN ANALYST
WHO'S TRAVELED TO SYRIA.
>> DR. ELIZABETH O'BAGY.
>> SHE WORKS WITH THE INSTITUTE
OF WAR, IS FLUENT IN ARABIC.
>> Reporter: ELIZABETH O'BAGY
SAYS THERE ARE DISTINCT AREAS
WHERE MODERATE REBELS ARE IN
CONTROL AND CAN KEEP WEAPONS OUT
OF THE HANDS OF EXTREMISTS.
>> I TRAVEL WITH GROUPS WHERE WE
ACTUALLY CAN KIND OF IDENTIFY
THE MORE EXTREMIST CHECKPOINTS
AND SIMPLY MOVE AROUND THEM INTO
AREAS WHERE THE MODERATES ARE IN
CONTROL AND HAVE AUTHORITY.
>> Reporter: BUT ONE U.S.
OFFICIAL TELLS CNN HE DOES NOT
SEE THE CLEAR DIVISION BETWEEN
MODERATES AND EXTREMISTS THAT
KERRY AND O'BNKSAGY SUGGESTED.
BOTH ELEMENTS ARE MIXED AMONGST
THE OPPOSITION.
ANOTHER REPORT SAYS MOST OF
THOSE FIGHTING AYAD ARE ISLAMIST
FIGHTERS, BUT ONLY A MINORITY
COULD ACCURATELY BE
CHARACTERIZED AS EXTREMISTS.
THE WAY THE LATEST OFFICIAL
DESCRIBED IT IS THE WAY THEY
LOOK AT IT IS, THEY LOOK AT
EXTREMISTS AS THOSE TIED TO
TERRORIST IDEOLOGY OR TERRORIST
GROUPS.
HE TELLS ME THAT MOST OF THE
REBELS IN SYRIA NOW ARE BETWEEN
MODERATE AND VERY CONSERVATIVE
ISLAMISTS.
BUT I THINK WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS
VIDEO, THE ACTUAL COMMANDER WHO
WAS, YOU SORT OF HEARD HIS VOICE
ON THAT VIDEO IN THE BEGINNING,
YOU KNOW, GIVING THE SORT OF
NARRATIVE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING,
HE IS NOT SOMEONE KNOWN TO BE
AFFILIATED WITH JIHADIST GROUPS.
IT MAY HAVE BEEN THAT HE WAS
SIMPLY OUT FOR REVENGE.
AND SO, I THINK WHEN YOU START
TRYING TO PARSE THIS, EXTREMIST
VERSUS ISLAMIST, TRUE, SOME
PEOPLE MAY NOT HAVE AN EXTREMIST