Killing of captives by the Islamic State

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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]

Contents

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 June 2014 Mosul, Iraq Unknown execution methodFailure to pay Ransom
1,095–1,700 Iraqi soldiers M Iraqi June 12, 2014 Tikrit, Iraq Shooting Sectarian violence against Shi’ite Muslims in Iraq
200 Syrian soldiers M Syrian July 16–26, 2014 Palmyra, Syria ShootingRevenge against the Syrian regime
75 Syrian soldiersMSyrianJuly 25, 2014 Raqqa, Syria Beheading Holding position in Raqqa under allegiance to Bashar al-Assad
James Wright Foley M American August 19, 2014Raqqa, SyriaBeheadingRetaliation for the American airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq [3]
250 Syrian soldiers MSyrianAugust 27–28, 2014 Tabqa, SyriaShootingRevenge against the Syrian regime
Sgt. Ali al-Sayyed M Lebanese August 28, 2014 Arsal, Lebanon BeheadingTo send a message to Lebanon [4]
Unnamed Peshmerga soldierM Kurdish August 29, 2014Mosul, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to the Peshmerga
Steven Joel Sotloff M Israeli-American September 2, 2014 Badiya, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and continued American airstrikes against the Islamic

State

Sol. Abbas Medlej MLebaneseSeptember 6, 2014Arsal, LebanonBeheading and shootingAttempting to escape from Islamic State captors
David Cawthorne Haines M British September 13, 2014Badiya, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and British airstrikes against the Islamic State
Samira Saleh Ali al-Naimi FIraqiSeptember 22, 2014Mosul, IraqShootingCriticizing the destruction of mosques and ancient artifacts, as well as being an “apostate
Hervé Gourdel M French September 24, 2014 Tikjda, Algeria Beheading French airstrikes against the Islamic State
Alan Henning MBritishOctober 3, 2014Badiya, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and the continued British airstrikes against the Islamic State
Sergei GorbunovM Russian October 25, 2014Raqqa, SyriaShootingFailure to pay Ransom
Maj. Peter Edward Abdul-Rahman Kassig MAmericanNovember 16, 2014 Dabiq, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and the beginning of American airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria
21 Syrian soldiersMSyrianNovember 16, 2014Dabiq, SyriaBeheadingTo send a message to the Syrian regime and Western nations
100 foreign Islamic State fighters??December 2014Raqqa, SyriaBeheading Deserting from the Islamic State and trying to escape Raqqa
1st LT. Muath Safi Yousef al-Kasasbeh M Jordanian January 3, 2015Raqqa, Syria Immolation Failure to pay Ransom and in retaliation for Jordanian involvement in “Crusader” airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria
Mamayev Jambulat YesenjenovichM Kazakh January 13, 2015 Damascus, SyriaShootingSpying for Russian intelligence
Ashimov Sergey NikolayevichMKazakhJanuary 13, 2015Damascus, SyriaShootingSpying for Russian intelligence
Haruna Yukawa M Japanese January 24, 2015 Deir ez-Zor, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and to send a message to Japan
Sol. Hujam SurchiMKurdishJanuary 28, 2015Mosul, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to the Peshmerga and Masoud Barzani
Kenji Goto MJapaneseJanuary 31, 2015Raqqa, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom and to send another message to Japan
10 alleged Egyptian spiesM Egyptian February 2015 Sinai, Egypt BeheadingAlleged spying for the Mossad and the Egyptian army
Kayla Jean Mueller FAmericanFebruary 6, 2015Raqqa, SyriaUnknown execution method, Islamic State claimed that she had been killed in a

Jordanian airstrike (proven wrong)

Failure to pay Ransom
1 Ghanaian and 20 Coptic Christians M Coptic Egyptian and Ghanaian February 15, 2015 Tripolitania, Libya BeheadingTo send a message to the Christians and “Crusaders”, also to avenge

Camelia Shehata Zakher

Mohamed Sa’id Ismail MusallamM 48-Palestinian March 10, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingAlleged spying for Israel
3 Eritrean and 30 Ethiopian ChristiansM Ethiopian and Eritrean April 19, 2015 Cyrenaica, Libya and Fezzan, LibyaBeheading and shootingTo send another message to the Christians and “Crusaders”, also to avenge Muslims who

have been killed in U.S. led coalition airstrikes

Mahmud Abdul-Amir al-KhalafMIraqiJune 17, 2015near the Tigris, Iraq Crucifixion and amputation Spying for the Peshmerga
16 Iraqi spiesMIraqiJune 23, 2015Mosul, Iraq RPG blast, drowning and

detonating cord

Spying and giving away information about the Islamic State
Faisal Hussain al-HabibMSyrianJuly 6, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingParticipating in the activist groupRaqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently
Bashir AbduladhimMSyrianJuly 6, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingParticipating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Rayif al-AbdMSyrianJuly 16, 2015 Homs, SyriaBeheadingFighting against the Islamic State under the Syrian army
10 Afghan spiesM Afghan August 9, 2015 Nangarhar, Afghanistan IED Spying for the Taliban
Tomislav Salopek M Croatian August 12, 2015Sinai, EgyptBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom
Mohamed al-Mousa al-Jasim MSyrianAugust 15, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingParticipating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Abdallah al-Khalaf al-Humaid al-AydanMSyrianAugust 15, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingParticipating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Raqan Hud AwadMSyrianAugust 15, 2015Raqqa, SyriaShootingParticipating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently”
Khaled Mohamad al-Asaad MSyrianAugust 18, 2015Palmyra, SyriaBeheadingProtecting “idols” and being an “apostate”
4 Iraqi militiamenMIraqiAugust 30, 2015 Anbar, IraqImmolationRevenge for Iraqi Soldiers and militiamen burning the corpses of

Sunni civilians

7 Peshmerga soldiersMKurdishSeptember 30, 2015Mosul, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to the Peshmerga and the family members of the beheaded captives
Muhammad Tayib Ali al-AmriM Libyan October 16, 2015Cyrenaica, LibyaShootingSpying for a “Western Awakening proxy”
Rushdi Ageela Omran al-MasouriMLibyanOctober 16, 2015Cyrenaica, Libya Dragging Spying for a “Western Awakening proxy”
Fadi Ammar ZidanMSyrianOctober 24, 2015Homs, Syria Crushing Revenge for Fadi running over the corpses of Islamic State fighters with a tank
Fan Jinghui M Chinese November 18, 2015Deir ez-Zor, SyriaShootingFailure to pay Ransom
Ole Johan Grimsgaard-OfstadM Norwegian November 18, 2015Deir ez-Zor, SyriaShootingFailure to pay Ransom
Khasiev MagomedMRussianDecember 2, 2015Raqqa, SyriaBeheadingAlleged spying for Russia
25 Houthi soldiersM Yemeni December 4, 2015 Aden Abyan, Yemen Beheading and various explosives Revenge for Houthi attacks against the Islamic State
6 Syrian spiesMSyrianDecember 4, 2015Deir ez-Zor, SyriaBeheading and shootingAlleged spying for Israel and America
Muadh FayumiMSyrianDecember 11, 2015Damascus, SyriaIEDBeing part of a “Western Awakening proxy
Firas QatafMSyrianDecember 11, 2015Damascus, SyriaIEDBeing part of a “Western Awakening proxy”
Javatov Migitin AmirbekovichMDagestani RussianDecember 24, 2015 Dagestan, RussiaShootingBeing a governor of Kakamakhi
Ibakov Shamil BagauddinovichMDagestani RussianDecember 24, 2015Dagestan, RussiaShootingReporting an Islamic State member to authorities
5 Syrian collaborators with BritainMSyrianJanuary 3, 2016Raqqa, SyriaShootingCollaborating with Britain
6 Syrian collaborators with FranceMSyrianJanuary 24, 2016Badiya, SyriaBeheading and shootingCollaborating with France
Karim HusseinMIraqiJanuary 30, 2016 Baiji, IraqBeheadingBeing part of the Iraqi Shi’ite militia “Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq” and fighting against

the Islamic State alongside other Iraqi militias

5 Iraqi collaborators with FranceMIraqiJanuary 30, 2016Mosul, IraqShootingCollaborating with and spying for France
4 Peshmerga soldiersMKurdishFebruary 2, 2016 Kirkuk, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to the Peshmerga and America
Muhammad Abdul-Aziz TabshoMSyrianFebruary 5, 2016 Aleppo, SyriaBeheadingBeing an Imam of a “Western Awakening proxy
300+ Iraqi soldiers, law enforcement officers and civil activists ?IraqiFebruary 8, 2016Mosul, Iraq Firing squad To send a message to Iraq
4 Syrian collaborators with AmericaMSyrianFebruary 11, 2016Raqqa, Syria Car bomb Collaborating with America
8 Iraqi collaboratorsMIraqiApril 16, 2016 Fallujah, IraqBeheading, shooting and detonating cordCollaborating with Iraqi police and security forces, as well as spying
John Bramwell Ridsdel M British-Canadian April 25, 2016 Sulu, Philippines BeheadingFailure to pay Ransom
3 Houthi soldiersMYemeniMay 19, 2016Aden Abyan, YemenBeheading, 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 June 13, 2016Sulu, PhilippinesBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom
5 Syrian collaboratorsMSyrianJune 24, 2016Deir ez-Zor, SyriaBeheading, stabbing, strangulation and various explosivesCollaborating with the Western coalition
5 Syrian collaborators EuphratesMSyrianJune 28, 2016 Abu Kamal, SyriaBeheadingReceiving help and training with American forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakening proxies”
Abdullah Aarf Abdul-Wahab Al-JaheshiMIraqiJuly 20, 2016Mosul, IraqBeheadingCollaborating with and spying for France
Muhannad Mahmud Junaidan Khalaf Al-SabawiMIraqiJuly 20, 2016Mosul, IraqBeheadingCollaborating with and spying for France
Samir Al-Hamad MajidMIraqiAugust 14, 2016 Diyala, IraqShootingTo send a message to Iraq
6 Iraqi captivesMIraqiAugust 15, 2016Mosul, IraqBeheading and shooting Graffiting anti Islamic State slogans and spying
15 Coalition collaboratorsMSyrian and Kurdish August 25, 2016Raqqa, SyriaBeheading and shootingParticipating in the coalition against the Islamic State
Slaughterhouse massacre of 16 SyriansMSyrianSeptember 12, 2016Deir ez-Zor, Syria Exsanguination Collaborating with the Western coalition
FCmdr. Ahmad Musa al-HusseinMSyrianSeptember 19, 2016Aleppo, SyriaBeheading and shooting with a mounted machine gun Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy
10 Iraqi captivesMIraqiOctober 13, 2016Mosul, IraqShootingGraffiting anti Islamic State slogans and collaborating against the Islamic State
4 Syrian spiesMSyrianOctober 25, 2016Raqqa, SyriaCrucifixion, shooting and stabbingSpying for the Western coalition
300 Iraqi civilians ?IraqiOctober 28-November 7, 2016Mosul, IraqUnknown execution methodRefusing to join and fight for the Islamic State
3 Syrian collaboratorsMSyrianNovember 1, 2016Abu Kamal, SyriaBeheading and shooting with a vehicle mounted anti-aircraft gun Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy
2 Iraqi spiesMIraqiNovember 14, 2016near the Euphrates, IraqShooting with a machine gunSpying for Iraq
5 Syrian collaborators DamascusMSyrianDecember 6, 2016Damascus, SyriaBeheadingTraining with American and Jordanian forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakening

proxies”

Pvt. Sefter Taş M Turkish December 22, 2016Aleppo, SyriaImmolation Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State
Pvt. Fethi Şahin MTurkishDecember 22, 2016Aleppo, SyriaImmolationTurkish airstrikes against the Islamic State
6 Syrian combatantsMSyrianDecember 28, 2016Raqqa, SyriaShooting and throwing Being part of or spying for multiple factions that were fighting against the Islamic State in Syria
‘Umar Tariq Mahmud Mustafa at-TaiMIraqiJanuary 4, 2017Mosul, IraqBeheadingCollaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to the Chief of Staff in the

Iraqi army during the Battle of Mosul

Adnan Hadi Muhammad ‘Ali “Seymour”MIraqiJanuary 4, 2017Mosul, IraqDrowningCollaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to Iraqi soldiers, militiamen

and coalition participants during the Battle of Mosul on an Iraqi radio broadcast podcast, causing 10-11 people to be killed in an American airstrike and also to punish Adnan for the drinking of liquor that some Iraqi soldiers and militiamen partake in and have caused others in Mosul to partake in as well

3 PKK spiesMSyrian and IraqiJanuary 7, 2017Deir ez-Zor, SyriaBeheading and shootingSpying for the PKK
2 PKK spiesMSyrianJanuary 24, 2017Raqqa, SyriaExsanguinationSpying for the PKK during the Battle of Raqqa
Jürgen Gustav Kantner M German February 27, 2017Sulu, PhilippinesBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom
1LT. Abbas Yassin al-Daraji “Abu Bakir al-Samarayi”MIraqiMarch 28, 2017 Ar-Rutba, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to Iraq
4 PKK soldiersMSyrianApril 19, 2017Raqqa, SyriaBeheadingFighting against the Islamic State during the Battle of Raqqa
Cpt. Petrenko Evgeny ViktorovichMRussianMay 8, 2017Badiya, SyriaBeheadingBeing a Russian intelligence officer [5]
7 Syrian collaboratorsMSyrianJune 18, 2017near the Jordan–Syria border, SyriaBeheading and firing squadCollaborating with America and Jordan
Isa Ali KinashMSyrianJuly 29, 2017Raqqa, SyriaShooting Betraying the Islamic State and collaborating with the YPG during the Battle of Raqqa
Mohsen Hojaji M Iranian August 10, 2017 Iraqi-Syrian border, IraqBeheadingTo send a message to Iran, “Rafidhis” (Shi’ite Muslims) and “Majusis” (Zoroastrians)
Umar GulMAfghanNovember 29, 2017 Jalalabad, AfghanistanAmputation and beheadingAlleged spying for American and Pakistani intelligence agencies
Cpt. Raad Khalaf al-HamadiMIraqiDecember 22, 2017Anbar, IraqShooting with a machine gunTo send a message to Iraq
Sol. Musaib Jasim al-MitiriMIraqiDecember 22, 2017Anbar, IraqShooting with a machine gunTo send a message to Iraq
Musa Abu ZammatMEgyptianJanuary 3, 2018Sinai, EgyptShooting Smuggling weapons from Rafah to Gaza, as well as collaborating with Hamas and the al-Qassam Brigades
Muhannad Touqan Abu AmmarM Syrian Druze August 2, 2018 As-Suwayda, SyriaBeheadingFailure to pay Ransom
Louisa Vesterager Jespersen F Danish December 17, 2018 Toubkal, Morocco Beheading and stabbingRevenge for the Battle of Hajin
Maren Ueland FNorwegianDecember 17, 2018Toubkal, MoroccoBeheading and stabbingRevenge for the Battle of Hajin
Sgt. Christopher OmogbaiM Nigerian December 8, 2019 Borno, Nigeria ShootingTo send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
Sgt. Yakubu BandiMNigerianDecember 8, 2019Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
Sgt. Yusuf SulaimanMNigerianDecember 8, 2019Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement
11 Nigerian ChristiansMNigerianDecember 26, 2019Borno, NigeriaBeheading and shootingRevenge for the deaths of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir, also to send a message to Christians
Unnamed Nigerian ChristianMNigerianJanuary 18, 2020Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigerian Christians
Sol. Dandulum Sanjaman DanielM Chadian April 25, 2020 Mayo-Kebbi, Chad ShootingTo send a message to Chad
Insp. Johanah JamesMNigerianJune 11, 2020Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigeria
LCpl. Emannuel OscarMNigerianJune 11, 2020Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigeria
5 Nigerian ChristiansMNigerianDecember 29, 2020Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigerian Christians
11 Hazara Shi’ites M Pakistani Hazara January 3, 2021 Machh, Pakistan Exsanguination To persecute Hazaras and Shi’ite Muslims
Nabil Habashi SalamaMCoptic EgyptianApril 17, 2021Sinai, EgyptShootingTo send a message and warning to Coptic Christians in Egypt
2 Egyptian tribal fightersMEgyptianApril 17, 2021Sinai, EgyptShootingFighting alongside the Egyptian army
20 Nigerian ChristiansMNigerianMay 10, 2022Borno, NigeriaBeheading and shootingRevenge for the deaths of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi, also to send a message to Christians
Sol. Mohammud AbdullahiM Nigerien July 10, 2022 Diffa, Niger ShootingTo send a message to the people of Diffa and Nigerien soldiers
4 Cameroonian ChristiansM Cameroonian January 9, 2024 Bargaram, Cameroon ShootingRevenge for the Israeli assault and airstrikes in Gaza that started in 2023, also to send a message to Christians and Jews
Sol. KaliMNigerianApril 16, 2024Borno, NigeriaShootingTo send a message to Nigeria

Military captives

By June 2014, according to United Nations reports, ISIL had killed hundreds of prisoners of war [6] and over 1,000 civilians. [7] [8] [9] 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") [10] [11] and the Shaer gas field (200 Syrian soldiers shot). [12] ISIL was reported to have beheaded about 100 foreign fighters as deserters who tried to leave Raqqa. [13]

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) [16] and Beshir (700 Shia Turkmen killed),[ citation needed ] and others committed near Mosul (670 Shia inmates of the Badush prison killed),[ citation needed ] and in Tal Afar prison, Iraq (205 Yazidis killed for refusing conversion). [16]

Journalists

ISIL has tortured and murdered both local and foreign journalists, [17] [18] 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. [19]

Aid workers

ISIL has also murdered aid workers.

See also

Related Research Articles

A beheading video is a video which depicts a live murder in which a hostage or victim is shown to be graphically decapitated, or the head is displayed in the aftermath. Such videos are typically distributed mostly through the Internet, and are often employed by groups seeking to instill shock or terror into a population. Although beheading has been a widely employed public execution method since the ancient Greeks and Romans, videos of this type only began to arise in 2002 with the beheading of Daniel Pearl and the growth of the Internet in the Information Age, which allowed groups to anonymously publish these videos for public consumption. The beheadings shown in these videos are usually not performed in a "classical" method — decapitating a victim quickly with a blow from a sword or axe — but by the relatively slow and torturous process of slicing and sawing the victim's neck, while still alive, with a knife.

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The persecution of Christians by the Islamic State involves the systematic mass murder of Christian minorities, within the regions of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria controlled by the Islamic extremist group Islamic State. Persecution of Christian minorities climaxed following the Syrian civil war and later by its spillover but has since intensified further. Christians have been subjected to massacres, forced conversions, rape, sexual slavery, and the systematic destruction of their historical sites, churches and other places of worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Foley (journalist)</span> American journalist (1973–2014)

James Wright Foley was an American journalist and video reporter. While working as a freelance war correspondent during the Syrian Civil War, he was abducted on November 22, 2012, in northwestern Syria. He was murdered by decapitation in August 2014 purportedly as a response to American airstrikes in Iraq, thus becoming the first American citizen executed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Sotloff</span> American journalist (1983–2014)

Steven Joel Sotloff was an American-Israeli journalist. In August 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and held captive by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On September 2, 2014, ISIS released a beheading video, showing one of its members beheading Sotloff. Following Sotloff's beheading, U.S. President Barack Obama stated that the United States would take action to "degrade and destroy" ISIS. President Obama also signed an Executive Order dated June 24, 2015, in the presence of the Sotloff family and other hostage families, overhauling how the U.S. handles American hostages held abroad by groups such as ISIS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadi John</span> Kuwaiti-British militant and ISIS executioner (1988–2015)

Mohammed Emwazi was a British militant of Kuwaiti origin seen in several videos produced by the Islamist extremist group Islamic State (IS) showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015. A group of his hostages nicknamed him "John" since he was part of a four-person terrorist cell with English accents whom they called 'The Beatles'; the press later began calling him "Jihadi John".

The 2014 rescue mission in Syria was an American led effort to locate and rescue hostages being held by Islamic State (IS) forces. Plans to rescue the hostages were accelerated after the execution of journalist James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and Kayla Mueller by IS militants. A total of 14 hostages were held hostage by the IS at an undisclosed location. Though no soldiers were killed, the mission failed to locate and rescue the hostages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State beheadings</span> Mostly 2014–2015 beheadings by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Beginning in 2014, a number of people from various countries were beheaded by the Islamic State (IS), a radical Sunni Jihadist group operating in Iraq and Syria as well as elsewhere. In January 2014, a copy of an IS penal code surfaced describing the penalties it enforces in areas under its control, including multiple beheadings. Beheading videos have been frequently posted by IS members to social media. Several of the recorded beheadings were conducted by Mohammed Emwazi, whom the media referred to as "Jihadi John" before his identification. The beheadings received wide coverage around the world and attracted international condemnation. Political scientist Max Abrahms posited that IS may be using well-publicized beheadings as a means of differentiating itself from Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and identifying itself with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda member who beheaded Daniel Pearl. The publicised beheadings represent a small proportion of a larger number of total people killed following capture by IS.

A Second Message to America is an undated beheading video, depicting the death of Steven Sotloff, published by the Islamic State media department Al-Furqan Media Productions.

"The Beatles" was the nickname for an Islamic State terrorist group composed of four British militants. The group was named by their hostages after the English rock group The Beatles, who referred to the members as "John", "Paul", "George", and "Ringo".

David Haines was a British aid worker who was captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in early 2013 and beheaded in early September 2014.

Peter Edward Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig, was an American aid worker who was beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Alan Henning was an English taxicab driver-turned-volunteer humanitarian aid worker. He became the fourth Western hostage killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with his killing publicised in a beheading video.

The condition of human rights in the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) is considered to be among the worst in the world. The Islamic State's policies included acts of genocide, torture and slavery. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) stated in November 2014 that the Islamic State "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey". Many Islamic State actions of extreme criminality, terror, recruitment and other activities have been documented in the Middle East.

The portrayal of ISIL in American media has largely been negative. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been linked in the American media to several atrocities throughout the Middle East. Most recently U.S. coverage has linked ISIL members to burning alive the Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, the beheadings of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and most recently, because the perpetrator of the June 2016 Orlando mass shooting- America's second deadliest- reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIL and its leader in a phone call to 911 operators just before the incident. The American public was introduced to ISIL with these actions. This contrasts with the renewed prominence of al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks in the media. That coverage focused on the United States' response to the attacks, while the coverage of ISIL started with the organization itself and evolved to cover America's potential strategy.

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This article contains a timeline of events from January 2015 to December 2015 related to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). This article contains information about events committed by or on behalf of the Islamic State, as well as events performed by groups who oppose them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexanda Kotey</span> Former British, now stateless ISIL terrorist and drug dealer

Alexanda Amon Kotey, known as Jihadi George, is a stateless former British citizen, drug dealer, and member of the Beatles cell serving life in prison at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado for providing material support to the Islamic State and hostage taking resulting in death. Kotey has denied being a member of the "Beatles" but has admitted to serving in the Islamic State in Syria. He is serving eight concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole.

El Shafee Elsheikh, known as Jihadi Ringo, is a Sudanese Wahhabi terrorist who took part in atrocities of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as one of the four so-called Jihadi Beatles. He was found guilty of eight charges of hostage taking and murder by an American court in 2022 and later sentenced to eight life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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