http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-crisis...s-fake-1452833
Gruesome pictures posted on Twitter by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) may not be authentic, according to human rights activists.
Isis, which has captured several key cities across Iraq in a brutal insurgency which began last week, posted several pictures purportedly portraying the abduction and killing of government soldiers.
The pictures appear to show masked Isis fighters loading captives into flatbed trucks before taking them to a shallow ditch, forcing them to lay face-down with their hands tied behind their backs. The final images show the bodies of the captives soaked in blood after being shot.
Isis captioned the photos with the claim that "hundreds have been liquidated", and boasted on a militant website that the horrific images provide evidence that 1,700 Iraqi government soldiers have been killed by Sunni fighters. Meanwhile Iraq's chief military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, confirmed the photos' authenticity.
Moussawi also told AP that an analysis of the images by military experts showed that about 170 soldiers were executed by militants after their capture.
However Erin Evers, Human Rights Watch researcher in Iraq said: "We're trying to verify the pics, and I am not convinced they are authentic.
"As far as ISIS claiming it has killed 1,700 people and publishing horrific photos to support that claim, it is unfortunately in keeping with their pattern of commission of atrocities, and obviously intended to further fuel sectarian war," he said.
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http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-crisis...s-fake-1452833