Video emerges of Islamic State group killing Syrian activists

A video has emerged on Sunday showing Islamic State group militants killing five media activists from a city held by the fighters in eastern Syria.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the individuals who appear in the 15-minute video have been in captivity since last october. The rights monitoring group concluded that it is likely they were killed in December.

Rami Abul Rahman, head of the observatory, confirmed that one of the murdered activists identified in the video had worked with his group, which relies on the help of non-extremist opposition activists on the ground.

Abdul Rahman said that the news of their deaths had been been suppressed because of a lack of evidence and fear of retribution against their families.

At present, the IS group in Syria is facing intense incursions into their territories by forces loyal to Damascus and anti-government coalitions.

In Libya, an effort is also underway to drive the militants out of their Mediterranean stronghold, while Iraqi government forces announced victory over the group on Sunday in Fallujah a month after launching their offensive.