Killing of captives by the Islamic State explained

Executions by ISIS refers here to killing by beheading, immolation, shooting, or other means of soldiers and civilians (such as captives and "criminals") by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL has released a number of propaganda/publicity videos of beheadings or shootings of captives. Houtat Sulūk is reported to be a mass grave.^{[1] [2]}

List of notable Islamic State executions

Victim(s)	Sex(s)	Nationality(s) of victim(s)	Date of execution (approx.)	Place of execution (approx.)	Method(s)	Reason(s)
39 Indian migrant workers	?	Indian		Mosul, Iraq	Unknown execution method	Failure to pay Ransom
1,095–1,700 Iraqi soldiers	M	Iraqi		Tikrit, Iraq	Shooting	Sectarian violence against Shi’ite Muslims inIraq
200 Syrian soldiers	M	Syrian	July 16-26, 2014	Palmyra, Syria	Shooting	Revenge against the Syrian regime
75 Syrian soldiers	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Holding position in Raqqa under allegiance to Bashar al-Assad
James Wright Foley	M	American		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Retaliation for the American airstrikes against theIslamic State in Iraq
250 Syrian soldiers	M	Syrian	August 27-28, 2014	Tabqa, Syria	Shooting	Revenge against the Syrian regime
Sgt. Ali al-Sayyed	M	Lebanese		Arsal, Lebanon	Beheading	To send a message to Lebanon
Unnamed Peshmerga soldier	M	Kurdish		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to the Peshmerga
Steven Joel Sotloff	M	Israeli-American		Badiya, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and continued American airstrikes against the IslamicState
Sol. Abbas Medlej	M	Lebanese		Arsal, Lebanon	Beheading and shooting	Attempting to escape from Islamic State captors
David Cawthorne Haines	M	British		Badiya, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and British airstrikes against the Islamic State
Samira Saleh Ali al-Naimi	F	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Shooting	Criticizing the destruction of mosques and ancient artifacts, as well as being an “apostate”
Hervé Gourdel	M	French		Tikjda, Algeria	Beheading	French airstrikes against the Islamic State
Alan Henning	M	British		Badiya, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and the continued British airstrikes against the Islamic State
Sergei Gorbunov	M	Russian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Failure to pay Ransom
Maj. Peter Edward Abdul-Rahman Kassig	M	American		Dabiq, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and the beginning ofAmerican airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria
21 Syrian soldiers	M	Syrian		Dabiq, Syria	Beheading	To send a message to the Syrian regime and Western nations
100 foreign Islamic State fighters	?	?		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Deserting from the Islamic State and trying to escape Raqqa
1st LT. Muath Safi Yousef al-Kasasbeh	M	Jordanian		Raqqa, Syria	Immolation	Failure to pay Ransom and in retaliation for Jordanian involvement in “Crusader” airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria
Mamayev Jambulat Yesenjenovich	M	Kazakh		Damascus, Syria	Shooting	Spying for Russian intelligence
Ashimov Sergey Nikolayevich	M	Kazakh		Damascus, Syria	Shooting	Spying for Russian intelligence
Haruna Yukawa	M	Japanese		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and to send a message to Japan
Sol. Hujam Surchi	M	Kurdish		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to the Peshmerga and Masoud Barzani
Kenji Goto	M	Japanese		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom and to send another message to Japan
10 alleged Egyptian spies	M	Egyptian		Sinai, Egypt	Beheading	Alleged spying for the Mossad and the Egyptian army
Kayla Jean Mueller	F	American		Raqqa, Syria	Unknown execution method, Islamic State claimed that she had been killed in aJordanian airstrike (proven wrong)	Failure to pay Ransom
1 Ghanaian and 20 Coptic Christians	M	Coptic Egyptian and Ghanaian		Tripolitania, Libya	Beheading	To send a message to the Christians and “Crusaders”, also to avengeCamelia Shehata Zakher
Mohamed Sa’id Ismail Musallam	M	48-Palestinian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Alleged spying for Israel
3 Eritrean and 30 Ethiopian Christians	M	Ethiopian and Eritrean		Cyrenaica, Libya and Fezzan, Libya	Beheading and shooting	To send another message to the Christians and “Crusaders”, also to avenge Muslims whohave been killed in U.S. ledcoalition airstrikes
Mahmud Abdul-Amir al-Khalaf	M	Iraqi		near the Tigris, Iraq	Crucifixion and amputation	Spying for the Peshmerga
16 Iraqi spies	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	RPG blast, drowning anddetonating cord	Spying and giving away information about the Islamic State
Faisal Hussain al-Habib	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Bashir Abduladhim	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Rayif al-Abd	M	Syrian		Homs, Syria	Beheading	Fighting against the Islamic State under the Syrian army
10 Afghan spies	M	Afghan		Nangarhar, Afghanistan	IED	Spying for the Taliban
Tomislav Salopek	M	Croatian		Sinai, Egypt	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom
Mohamed al-Mousa al-Jasim	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Abdallah al-Khalaf al-Humaid al-Aydan	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Raqan Hud Awad	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Khaled Mohamad al-Asaad	M	Syrian		Palmyra, Syria	Beheading	Protecting “idols” and being an “apostate”
4 Iraqi militiamen	M	Iraqi		Anbar, Iraq	Immolation	Revenge for Iraqi Soldiers and militiamen burning the corpses ofIslamic State fighters
7 Peshmerga soldiers	M	Kurdish		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to the Peshmerga and the family members of the beheaded captives
Muhammad Tayib Ali al-Amri	M	Libyan		Cyrenaica, Libya	Shooting	Spying for a “Western Awakening proxy”
Rushdi Ageela Omran al-Masouri	M	Libyan		Cyrenaica, Libya	Dragging	Spying for a “Western Awakening proxy”
Fadi Ammar Zidan	M	Syrian		Homs, Syria	Crushing	Revenge for Fadi running over the corpses of Islamic State fighters with a tank
Fan Jinghui	M	Chinese		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Shooting	Failure to pay Ransom
Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad	M	Norwegian		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Shooting	Failure to pay Ransom
Khasiev Magomed	M	Russian		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Alleged spying for Russia
25 Houthi soldiers	M	Yemeni		Aden Abyan, Yemen	Beheading and various explosives	Revenge for Houthi attacks against the Islamic State
6 Syrian spies	M	Syrian		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Beheading and shooting	Alleged spying for Israel and America
Muadh Fayumi	M	Syrian		Damascus, Syria	IED	Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy”
Firas Qataf	M	Syrian		Damascus, Syria	IED	Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy”
Javatov Migitin Amirbekovich	M	Dagestani Russian		Dagestan, Russia	Shooting	Being a governor of Kakamakhi
Ibakov Shamil Bagauddinovich	M	Dagestani Russian		Dagestan, Russia	Shooting	Reporting an Islamic State member to authorities
5 Syrian collaborators with Britain	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Collaborating with Britain
6 Syrian collaborators with France	M	Syrian		Badiya, Syria	Beheading and shooting	Collaborating with France
Karim Hussein	M	Iraqi		Baiji, Iraq	Beheading	Being part of the Iraqi Shi’ite militia “Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq” and fighting againstthe Islamic State alongside other Iraqi militias
5 Iraqi collaborators with France	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Shooting	Collaborating with and spying for France
4 Peshmerga soldiers	M	Kurdish		Kirkuk, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to the Peshmerga and America
Muhammad Abdul-Aziz Tabsho	M	Syrian		Aleppo, Syria	Beheading	Being an Imam of a “Western Awakening proxy”
300+ Iraqi soldiers, law enforcement officers and civil activists	?	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Firing squad	To send a message to Iraq
4 Syrian collaborators with America	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Car bomb	Collaborating with America
8 Iraqi collaborators	M	Iraqi		Fallujah, Iraq	Beheading, shooting and detonating cord	Collaborating with Iraqi police and security forces, as well as spying
John Bramwell Ridsdel	M	British-Canadian		Sulu, Philippines	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom
3 Houthi soldiers	M	Yemeni		Aden Abyan, Yemen	Beheading, shooting and stoning	To send a message to the Houthis and other factions in Yemen that are fighting against the Islamic State
Robert Ward Hall	M	Canadian		Sulu, Philippines	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom
5 Syrian collaborators	M	Syrian		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Beheading, stabbing, strangulation and various explosives	Collaborating with the Western coalition
5 Syrian collaborators Euphrates	M	Syrian		Abu Kamal, Syria	Beheading	Receiving help and training with American forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakening proxies”
Abdullah Aarf Abdul-Wahab Al-Jaheshi	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	Collaborating with and spying for France
Muhannad Mahmud Junaidan Khalaf Al-Sabawi	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	Collaborating with and spying for France
Samir Al-Hamad Majid	M	Iraqi		Diyala, Iraq	Shooting	To send a message to Iraq
6 Iraqi captives	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading and shooting	Graffiting anti Islamic State slogans and spying
15 Coalition collaborators	M	Syrian and Kurdish		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading and shooting	Participating in the coalition against the Islamic State
Slaughterhouse massacre of 16 Syrians	M	Syrian		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Exsanguination	Collaborating with the Western coalition
FCmdr. Ahmad Musa al-Hussein	M	Syrian		Aleppo, Syria	Beheading and shooting with a mounted machine gun	Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy”
10 Iraqi captives	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Shooting	Graffiting anti Islamic State slogans and collaborating against the Islamic State
4 Syrian spies	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Crucifixion, shooting and stabbing	Spying for the Western coalition
300 Iraqi civilians	?	Iraqi	October 28-November 7, 2016	Mosul, Iraq	Unknown execution method	Refusing to join and fight for the Islamic State
3 Syrian collaborators	M	Syrian		Abu Kamal, Syria	Beheading and shooting with a vehicle mounted anti-aircraft gun	Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy”
2 Iraqi spies	M	Iraqi		near the Euphrates, Iraq	Shooting with a machine gun	Spying for Iraq
5 Syrian collaborators Damascus	M	Syrian		Damascus, Syria	Beheading	Training with American and Jordanian forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakeningproxies”
Pvt. Sefter Taş	M	Turkish		Aleppo, Syria	Immolation	Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State
Pvt. Fethi Şahin	M	Turkish		Aleppo, Syria	Immolation	Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State
6 Syrian combatants	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting and throwing	Being part of or spying for multiple factions that were fighting against the Islamic State in Syria
‘Umar Tariq Mahmud Mustafa at-Tai	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Beheading	Collaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to the Chief of Staff in theIraqi army during the Battle of Mosul
Adnan Hadi Muhammad ‘Ali “Seymour”	M	Iraqi		Mosul, Iraq	Drowning	Collaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to Iraqi soldiers, militiamenand coalition participants during the Battle of Mosul on an Iraqi radio broadcast podcast, causing 10-11 people to be killed in anAmerican airstrike and also to punish Adnan for the drinking of liquor that some Iraqi soldiers andmilitiamen partake in and have caused others in Mosul to partake in as well
3 PKK spies	M	Syrian and Iraqi		Deir ez-Zor, Syria	Beheading and shooting	Spying for the PKK
2 PKK spies	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Exsanguination	Spying for the PKK during the Battle of Raqqa
Jürgen Gustav Kantner	M	German		Sulu, Philippines	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom
1LT. Abbas Yassin al-Daraji “Abu Bakir al-Samarayi”	M	Iraqi		Ar-Rutba, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to Iraq
4 PKK soldiers	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Beheading	Fighting against the Islamic State during the Battle of Raqqa
Cpt. Petrenko Evgeny Viktorovich	M	Russian		Badiya, Syria	Beheading	Being a Russian intelligence officer
7 Syrian collaborators	M	Syrian		near the Jordan–Syria border, Syria	Beheading and firing squad	Collaborating with America and Jordan
Isa Ali Kinash	M	Syrian		Raqqa, Syria	Shooting	Betraying the Islamic State and collaborating with the YPG during the Battle of Raqqa
Mohsen Hojaji	M	Iranian		Iraqi-Syrian border, Iraq	Beheading	To send a message to Iran, “Rafidhis” (Shi’ite Muslims) and “Majusis”(Zoroastrians)
Umar Gul	M	Afghan		Jalalabad, Afghanistan	Amputation and beheading	Alleged spying for American and Pakistani intelligence agencies
Cpt. Raad Khalaf al-Hamadi	M	Iraqi		Anbar, Iraq	Shooting with a machine gun	To send a message to Iraq
Sol. Musaib Jasim al-Mitiri	M	Iraqi		Anbar, Iraq	Shooting with a machine gun	To send a message to Iraq
Musa Abu Zammat	M	Egyptian		Sinai, Egypt	Shooting	Smuggling weapons from Rafah to Gaza, as well as collaborating with Hamas and the al-Qassam Brigades
Muhannad Touqan Abu Ammar	M	Syrian Druze		As-Suwayda, Syria	Beheading	Failure to pay Ransom
Louisa Vesterager Jespersen	F	Danish		Toubkal, Morocco	Beheading and stabbing	Revenge for the Battle of Hajin
Maren Ueland	F	Norwegian		Toubkal, Morocco	Beheading and stabbing	Revenge for the Battle of Hajin
Sgt. Christopher Omogbai	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
Sgt. Yakubu Bandi	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
Sgt. Yusuf Sulaiman	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
11 Nigerian Christians	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Beheading and shooting	Revenge for the deaths of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir, also to send a message to Christians
Unnamed Nigerian Christian	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigerian Christians
Sol. Dandulum Sanjaman Daniel	M	Chadian		Mayo-Kebbi, Chad	Shooting	To send a message to Chad
Insp. Johanah James	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigeria
LCpl. Emannuel Oscar	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigeria
5 Nigerian Christians	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigerian Christians
11 Hazara Shi’ites	M	Pakistani Hazara		Machh, Pakistan	Exsanguination	To persecute Hazaras and Shi’ite Muslims
Nabil Habashi Salama	M	Coptic Egyptian		Sinai, Egypt	Shooting	To send a message and warning to Coptic Christians in Egypt
2 Egyptian tribal fighters	M	Egyptian		Sinai, Egypt	Shooting	Fighting alongside the Egyptian army
20 Nigerian Christians	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Beheading and shooting	Revenge for the deaths of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi, also to send a message to Christians
Sol. Mohammud Abdullahi	M	Nigerien		Diffa, Niger	Shooting	To send a message to the people of Diffa and Nigerien soldiers
4 Cameroonian Christians	M	Cameroonian		Bargaram, Cameroon	Shooting	Revenge for the Israeli assault and airstrikes in Gaza that started in 2023, also to send a message to Christians and Jews
Sol. Kali	M	Nigerian		Borno, Nigeria	Shooting	To send a message to Nigeria

Military captives

By June 2014, according to United Nations reports, ISIL had killed hundreds of prisoners of war and over 1,000 civilians.^{[3] [4] [5]} Specific incidents involving the killing of military prisoners including the mass killing of up to 250 Syrian Army soldiers near Tabqa Air base,^[6] and killings that took place in Camp Speicher (1,095–1,700 Iraqi soldiers shot and "thousands" more "missing")^{[7] [8]} and the Shaer gas field (200 Syrian soldiers shot).^[9] ISIL was reported to have beheaded about 100 foreign fighters as deserters who tried to leave Raqqa.^[10]

• Muath al-Kasasbeh, a Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot whose F-16 fighter aircraft crashed near Raqqa, Syria, on 24 December 2014 during the international military intervention against ISIL, was captured by ISIL, and on 3 February 2015 released a video showing al-Kasasbeh being burned to death while trapped inside a cage.^[11]
• On 22 December 2016, ISIL has released a video showing two captured Turkish soldiers being burned alive. ^[12]

Civilian captives

Among the known killings of religious and minority group civilians carried out by ISIL are those in the villages and towns of Qiiniyeh (70–90 Yazidis killed), Hardan (60 Yazidis killed), Sinjar (200–500 Yazidis killed), Ramadi Jabal (60–70 Yazidis killed), Dohula (50 Yazidis killed), Khana Sor (100 Yazidis killed), Hardan (250–300 Yazidis killed), al-Shamal (dozens of Yazidis killed), Kocho (400 Yazidis killed and 1,000 abducted), Jadala (14 Yadizis killed)^[13] and Beshir (700 Shia Turkmen killed), and others committed near Mosul (670 Shia inmates of the Badush prison killed), and in Tal Afar prison, Iraq (205 Yazidis killed for refusing conversion).

Journalists

ISIL has tortured and murdered both local and foreign journalists,^{[14] [15]} creating what Reporters Without Borders calls "news blackholes" in areas controlled by ISIL. ISIL fighters have reportedly been given written directions to kill or capture journalists.^[16]

• James Wright Foley (October 18, 1973 August 19, 2014) was an American freelance journalist and photojournalist of the Syrian Civil War when he was abducted on November 22, 2012, in northwestern Syria. Foley was the first American citizen to be killed by "Jihadi John".^[17] James Foley's beheading by ISIL received wide condemnation in the United States.
• Steven Joel Sotloff (May 11, 1983 – September 2, 2014) was an Israeli-American^[18] journalist for Time magazine and The Jerusalem Post, although the Post disavowed any relationship once Sotloff's life was threatened. In 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and was held captive by Islamic militants. On September 2, 2014, a video was released purporting to show "Jihadi John" beheading Steven Sotloff.^{[19] [20]}
• On January 8, 2015, ISIL members in Libya claimed to have executed Tunisian journalists Sofiene Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari who disappeared in September 2014.^[21]
• In January 2015 ISIL threatened to kill two Japanese hostages, Kenji Goto Jogo, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa (湯川遥菜), a military company operator, unless a ransom of 200 million USD is paid. By the end of the month, the group released another video of the beheading of Goto, in which Jihadi John proclaimed to Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe "because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin."^[22]

Aid workers

ISIL has also murdered aid workers.

• David Haines (May 9, 1970 – September 13, 2014) was abducted in March 2013 by ISIL while working in Syria for the humanitarian aid group Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development assessing the Atmeh refugee camp near the Turkish border and the Syrian province of Idlib.^{[23] [24]} A video of the lead-up and aftermath of David Haines' beheading, entitled "A Message to the Allies of America", was released by ISIL on September 13, 2014.^[25]
• Hervé Gourdel (September 12, 1959 – September 24, 2014) was a French citizen and mountaineering guide.^[26] Gourdel was kidnapped on September 21, 2014, while hiking in the Djurdjura National Park in Algeria. The following day, an at the time recently formed ISIL affiliate in Algeria, Jund al-Khilafah, released a video which showed Hervé Gourdel being held hostage. The group threatened to kill Gourdel if the French government continued to conduct airstrikes against ISIL. On September 24, they carried through on threats to behead him after a 24-hour deadline passed.^[27] The beheading was captured in a video titled "A Message of Blood for French Government."^{[28] [29]}
• Alan Henning (August 15, 1967 – October 3, 2014) was a British humanitarian aid worker.^[30] Henning was the fourth Western hostage killed by ISIL. Henning was captured during ISIL's occupation of the Syrian city of Al-Dana in December 2013, where he was helping with humanitarian relief.^[31] The British Foreign Office withheld news of Henning's capture while they attempted to negotiate his release. Alan Henning was shown at the end of David Haines's beheading video, released on September 13, 2014, and referred to by "Jihadi John" as the next victim.^{[32] [33]} A video of Henning's beheading was released by ISIL on October 3, 2014.^[30]
• Peter Edward Kassig (February 19, 1988 – 2014),^[34] also known by the name Abdul-Rahman Kassig which he assumed in captivity, was 26 years old at the time he was beheaded.^[35] He was the adopted child of Ed, a school teacher, and Paula Kassig, a nurse.^{[36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41]} On October 1, 2013, as he was on his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria to deliver food and medical supplies to refugees, Kassig was taken captive by ISIL.^{[42] [43]} While in captivity, Kassig – formerly a Methodist – converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman Kassig, sometime between October and December 2013.^{[44] [45]} On October 3, 2014, his parents released a video in which they stressed that his conversion to Islam was not forced, and that his path to conversion began before he was taken captive.^[44] On November 16, 2014, ISIL posted a video showing "Jihadi John" standing over a severed human head.^[46] The beheading itself was not shown in the video. The White House later confirmed the person killed was Kassig.^[47]
• ISIL claimed that U.S. hostage Kayla Mueller was killed in the Jordanian airstrike on Raqqa on 5 February 2015. However, some experts believe that she may have been killed before the date of the video's release, in order for ISIL to try to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Jordan by blaming her death on the Jordanian airstrikes.^{[48] [49] [50]} Shortly thereafter President Obama confirmed the death of Mueller by ISIL.^{[51] [52] [53]}
• On November 19, 2015, Chinese national Fan Jinghui (樊京辉^[54]) and Norwegian national Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad were murdered by being shot by ISIL, and pictures were released in ISIL's magazine Dabiq.^{[55] [56] [57]}

See also

• ISIL beheading incidents
• Mass executions in Islamic State-occupied Mosul
• Genocide of Christians by the Islamic State
• Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL
• Persecution of Shias by ISIL
• Abu Azrael

Notes and References

1. News: ISIL Executes Three Men - Raqqa, Syria. January 2014. Transterra Media. 3 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20160223194044/https://transterramedia.com/media/34777. 23 February 2016. dead.
2. News: Unterwegs mit kurdischen Kämpfern - An der IS-Front. spigel.tv. 3 December 2018. Traveling with Kurdish fighters - At the Islamic State front.
3. News: More than 1,000 killed in Iraq violence in June: U.N.. Reuters. 4 July 2014.
4. News: Iraq violence: UN confirms more than 2000 killed, injured since early June. 24 June 2014. UN News Centre. 4 July 2014.
5. News: UN warns of war crimes as ISIL allegedly executes 1,700 . 15 June 2014 . Today's Zaman . 4 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140704015301/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-350389-un-warns-of-war-crimes-as-isil-allegedly-executes-1700.html . 4 July 2014 .
6. "Video shows Islamic State executes scores of Syrian soldiers". Reuters. 28 August 2014.
7. Web site: "داعش"، "أزلام صدام" أم "طرف ثالث".. من يقف وراء قتل 1700 جندي في "مجزرة سبايكر" بالعراق؟ ("Daash", "Saddam's henchmen" or "third party.". Who is behind murder of 1,700 in massacre Spyker "in Iraq?). ar. CNN. 20 October 2014. 10 September 2014.
8. Web site: البغدادية - قاسم عطا: 11000 مفقوداً من قاعد سبايكر وهناك مقابر جماعية للجنود في القصور الرئاسية والبوعجيل بتكريت (Qassim Atta: 11,000 missing from Spyker massacre are the mass graves of soldiers at the Presidential Palace in Tikrit). ar. Al Baghdadia. 20 October 2014. 3 September 2014. dead. https://archive.today/20140913034036/http://albaghdadia.com/index.php/iraqnews/item/32772-2014-09-03-12-30-15. 13 September 2014.
9. Web site: Syria fights to free gas field from Islamic State. Sacramento Bee. 20 October 2014.
10. Web site: Isis morale falls as momentum slows and casualties mount. Erika Solomon . Financial Times. 19 December 2014. December 20, 2014.
11. Web site: Jordan's King Abdullah Vows Revenge for Death of Mouath al-Kasaesbeh, Who Was Burned Alive by ISIS . The Atlantic. Adam Chandler. 4 February 2015.
12. Web site: 23 December 2016 . ISIL video shows ‘Turkish soldiers burned alive’ . 6 April 2023 . www.aljazeera.com . en.
13. Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq: 6 July – 10 September 2014. ohchr.org. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.
14. News: Al Fares . Zaid . 5 September 2014 . The Forgotten Isis Beheadings: The World Mourns Steven Sotloff, but who Remembers Bassam al-Rayes? . . 17 December 2014 .
15. Web site: Kestler-D'Amours . Jillian . 6 October 2014 . Syria journalists 'on the margins of history' . aljzeera.com . 17 December 2014 .
16. Web site: Areas controlled by Islamic State are news 'black holes' - Reporters Without Borders. 2015-02-15. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070404/http://en.rsf.org/iraq-areas-controlled-by-islamic-state-23-10-2014,47147.html. dead.
17. News: Another American hostage threatened with death. Alyssa Newcomb. CBS News. World News. August 20, 2014. August 20, 2014.
18. Web site: Steven Sotloff, Journalist Beheaded by ISIS, Was Also Israeli Citizen. NBC News. Paul Hirschson. September 3, 2014 . September 3, 2014.
19. Web site: Steven Sotloff 'beheaded by Islamic State' – latest. The Daily Telegraph. Raf Sanchez . September 2, 2014. September 2, 2014.
20. Web site: After James Foley, ISIS beheads another US journalist Steven Sotloff. The Times of India. September 3, 2014. September 3, 2014.
21. Web site: Libya's ISIS branch claims execution of two Tunisian journalists. Al Akhbar English.
22. News: Japanese hostage Kenji Goto seen beheaded in ISIS video, bringing abrupt end to negotiations to free him. National Post. Karin. Laub. January 31, 2015. January 31, 2015.
23. News: David Haines – obituary. The Daily Telegraph. London. September 14, 2014.
24. News: Robinson. Nick. British hostage: PM says UK will not be 'cowed' by threats. September 8, 2014. BBC News. September 3, 2014.
25. News: Haberman. Zach. David Haines video: Full transcript of ISIS footage that allegedly depicts beheading of British aid worker. September 14, 2014. New York Times. September 13, 2014.
26. News: Niçois enlevé en Algérie: Fabius confirme l'authenticité de la vidéo. Nice Matin. September 22, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150201201040/http://www.nicematin.com/derniere-minute/nicois-enleve-en-algerie-fabius-confirme-lauthenticite-de-la-video.1914423.html. February 1, 2015.
27. News: Algerian extremists behead French hostage. September 24, 2014. Associated Press. September 24, 2014.
28. News: Legal View. CNN. September 24, 2014.
29. News: Jund al-Khilafah in Algeria Beheads French Hostage in Video . September 24, 2014 . . September 24, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140925125428/http://news.siteintelgroup.com/blog/index.php/entry/289-jund-al-khilafah-in-algeria-beheads-french-hostage-in-video . September 25, 2014 . dead .
30. Web site: Alan Henning 'killed by Islamic State'. BBC. October 3, 2014. October 3, 2014.
31. News: Alan Henning: Second British hostage in Isis beheading video named as 'kind and funny' aid worker. The Independent. London. September 14, 2014. September 14, 2014. Tom. Harper.
32. News: Botelho. Greg. Pearson. Michael. Taylor. Phillip. ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice. September 14, 2014. CNN.com. September 13, 2014.
33. Web site: Isis hostage: Alan Henning described as 'a big man with a big heart'. The Guardian. September 14, 2014. September 14, 2014. Ian. Cobain.
34. News: Remembering Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig. December 18, 2014. Butler University. November 19, 2014.
35. Web site: BBC News - Abdul-Rahman Kassig killing is pure evil, says Obama. BBC News. November 19, 2014.
36. News: Eason. Brian. Wang. Stephanie. Adams. Michael Anthony. Indianapolis native Peter Kassig named next ISIS target. October 12, 2014. Indianapolis Star. October 3, 2014.
37. News: Wagner. Meg. 'On our own, with no help from the government': Peter Kassig's mom claims U.S. won't help kidnapped son, tweets to ISIS for his release. October 12, 2014. New York Daily News. October 9, 2014.
38. Web site: US hostage Kassig letter: 'I am scared to die'. BBC News. October 7, 2014.
39. Web site: Parents of US hostage Peter Kassig appeal to Isis for his release. the Guardian. October 7, 2014.
40. Web site: Peter Kassig's parents in video plea to ISIS: 'Show mercy'. October 4, 2014. October 7, 2014.
41. News: Brian Eason. Peter Kassig's birth family breaks silence. The Kassigs acknowledged on Thursday that they adopted Peter as an infant.. The Indianapolis Star. November 20, 2014. November 24, 2014.
42. Web site: Indianapolis native Peter Kassig named next ISIS target. October 3, 2014. October 7, 2014.
43. Web site: Peter Kassig: Idealistic aid worker who converted to Islam in captivity. October 4, 2014. Telegraph.co.uk. October 7, 2014.
44. News: The back story of the former Ranger held captive by Islamic State. October 12, 2014. Military Times. October 6, 2014. October 6, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006193753/http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS08/310060045/The-back-story-former-Ranger-held-captive-by-Islamic-State. dead.
45. Web site: Peter Kassig's Conversion Unlikely to Halt ISIS Headsman, Experts Say. U.S. News & World Report. October 7, 2014.
46. Web site: IS Beheads Peter Kassig, Challenges U.S. to Send Ground Troops. SITE Monitoring Service. 2014-11-16. (transcript of the video, largely based on the original English subtitles)
47. News: Hjelmgaard. Kim. U.S. review of Islamic State video confirms American's death. November 16, 2014. USA Today. November 16, 2014.
48. News: Officials: No proof U.S. hostage killed in airstrike. USA Today. Doug Stanglin. Jim Michaels. Jessica Estepa. Shaun McKinnon. (Arizona) Republic, Associated Press. February 7, 2015. February 7, 2015.
49. News: ISIS Declares Airstrike Killed a U.S. Hostage. Rukmini Callimachi. Rick Gladstone. Eric Schmitt and Julie Hirschfeld Davis from Washington; Rana F. Sweis and Ranya Kadri from Amman, Jordan; Anne Barnard from Beirut, Lebanon; and Sheri Fink from New York. New York Times. February 6, 2015. February 7, 2015.
50. News: Islamic State says female US hostage killed in Syria. Press Association. Independent.ie. February 7, 2015. February 6, 2015.
51. Peter Foster, "US female hostage held by Isil is dead, confirms Obama," The Telegraph, 10 Feb 2015
52. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/10/kayler-mueller-american-isil-hostage-is-dead.html "Kayla Mueller, American ISIL hostage, is dead,"
53. Rukmini Callimachi, "Death of Kayla Mueller, ISIS Hostage, Confirmed by Family and White House,", New York Times, FEB. 10, 2015
54. "被IS扣押中国人质为樊京辉 在京从事广告行业." Sina. September 10, 2015. Retrieved on November 19, 2015.
55. Web site: Islamic State claims it has killed two more hostages. 2015-11-19 . BBC News.
56. Web site: ISIS: Executes Chinese, Norwegian Captives, According To Claims, Both Countries Condemn Killings. 2015-11-19 . Headlines & Global News (HNGN).
57. Web site: IS group says it has killed Norwegian, Chinese captives. 2015-11-18 . Yahoo News.