Dozens of Syrian soldiers were purportedly executed by Islamic State (IS) fighters, according to footage uploaded to Social Media sites on Thursday.
The video, which can’t be independently verified, shows the men in just their underwear being led through the desert. Later the footage shows a long line of dead bodies lying face down in the sand.
Seized from an airbase in Syria’s Raqqa province on Sunday, one report suggested as many as 120 men were murdered.
IS – a more radical offshoot of Al Qaeda – now controls roughly a third of the country and large areas of northern Iraq where they blew up three oil installations at Ain Zalah on Wednesday.
Kurdish troops, together with Western military support, are attempted to wrest back control of Sadiya town, just two hours from Baghdad, which was captured a week ago.
As thousands of people flee the violence, many continue to take shelter in camps for internally displaced people set up by international aid agencies.
Iraq’s minorities have been singled out by the jihadists. Although many have converted to Islam as demanded, tens of thousands have sought out safer parts of the country.
