BEIRUT: Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate says members who participated in the killing of Druze villagers in northern Syria this week acted in violation of orders and would be punished.

As many as 20 members of the Druze minority sect were killed by members of the Nusra Front in the northwestern province of Idlib Wednesday.

The killings were the deadliest violence against the sect since Syria's conflict started in March 2011. Syria's Druze community has been split between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad but has largely stayed out of the fighting.

In a statement posted on the Internet Saturday, the Nusra Front said the perpetrators would face trial before an Islamic court.

The killings sparked an outcry in Syria and in Lebanon, which also has a large Druze minority.