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Islamic State Group Beheads 8 in Syria


FILE - An image taken from a video released by the Islamic State group purportedly shows a masked militant holding a knife.
FILE - An image taken from a video released by the Islamic State group purportedly shows a masked militant holding a knife.

The Islamic State terrorist group released a new video Sunday showing its fighters cutting off the heads of eight men described as Shi'ite Muslims.

The eight men were said to be beheaded in the central Syrian province of Hama. Blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, the men are seen being led forward in a field by what appear to be teenage boys. They were then handed over to a group of fighters. A boy wearing a black uniform is seen handing out knives to the fighters before the hostages are killed.

The video was posted on social media. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in the United Kingdom said the video appeared authentic.

An Islamic State fighter speaks in the video, calling the hostages "impure infidels" and saying the military campaign against the Islamic State will make the group stronger.

The Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIL or ISIS, has beheaded scores of captives since capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria last year. Earlier this month, a video was released showing the beheading of three Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters.

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