Dozens of Syrian soldiers were purportedly executed by Islamic State (IS) fighters, according to footage uploaded to Social Media sites on Thursday.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Seized from an airbase in Syria’s Raqqa province on Sunday, one report suggested as many as 120 men were murdered.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />As thousands of people flee the violence, many continue to take shelter in camps for internally displaced people set up by international aid agencies.<br /><br />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.
