The Brutal Militant Group Taking Over Iraq Is Bragging Of The Mass Execution Of 1,700 People
Released on the group's Twitter account - where they boasted of killing 1,700 soldiers - fighters show off the trucks and gear they had seized in their takeover of Mosul and Tikrit. But others are much worse, with dozens of people bound and packed into the back of trucks and shuttled to a mass grave in the desert.
Numerous photos appear to show masked ISIS fighters killing the bound men as they lie helpless on the ground. Needless to say, they are extremely disturbing, and if confirmed, are evidence of a major war crime.
While they appear to be genuine, the photos nor the claim of 1,700 deaths has been verified by human rights groups, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Aaron Zelin, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and expert on militant Islam, explained how these types of executions are meant to incite all-out civil war:
"There will be particular scrutiny of the conduct of ISIL, given their well-documented record of committing grave international crimes in Syria," Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Herald.
The situation in Iraq has become increasingly worse in recent days, as militants - having already taken control of Fallujah - seized the key cities Tikrit and Mosul. With Mosul in the north ISIL scored its biggest victory, taking control of the country's second-largest city, home to roughly 2 million people.
We have chosen not to show many of the worst photos here, and have heavily-blurred images of the victims. However, if you wish to see the full set, they are here (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING).
