Syria executes 24 people over last year’s deadly wildfires

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s Justice Ministry says authorities have executed 24 people after charging them with igniting deadly wildfires last year. The blazes left three people dead and burnt thousands of hectares (acres) of forests. Executions are common in war-torn Syria, where the decade-old conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced half the country’s population. That includes five million refugees outside the country. Syria’s Justice Ministry called the two dozen executed Thursday, “criminals who carried out terrorist attacks that led to deaths and damage to infrastructure and public property.” It said 11 others were sentenced to life in prison in the same case.