Baghdad: Human Rights Watch says Iraqi insurgents executed at least 160 captives earlier this month, based on an analysis of satellite imagery and grisly photos released by the militants.
The U.S.-based rights group said on Friday that militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant killed between 160 and 190 men in two locations in Tikrit between June 11 and June 14.
“The number of victims may well be much higher, but the difficulty of locating bodies and accessing the area has prevented a full investigation,” it said.
After overrunning large swaths of northern Iraq and capturing the cities of Mosul and Tikrit earlier this month, the Islamic extremist group posted graphic photos on a militant website that appeared to show fighters massacring scores of captured Iraqi soldiers.
