Armed ISIS militants rolled through the Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday in a convoy made up of dozens of armored humvees, trucks, and cars, showing off military hardware that militants seized from the Iraqi government as they took over control of the city.
The parade took place as US Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Baghdad to discuss a diplomatic solution on the unfolding crisis in the country. The convoy was seen as a deliberate show of force towards US and Iraqi officials.
The pictures also showed young children on the backs of the armored vehicles, brandishing weapons and participating in the parade.
Human Rights Watch released a report on Monday outlining how Syrian armed groups, including ISIS, routinely use children in combat and actively recruit them to join their ranks.This is not the first time ISIS has rolled a heavily armed convoy through the streets of Mosul. Two weeks ago, militants carried out a similar display of force after seizing American military vehicles from the fleeing Iraqi army and released a video online.
Video courtesy of Youtube/Menschenfreund+One day after this most recent procession on Monday, ISIS released more pictures of fighters preparing for battle and militants executing Iraqis.ISIS has been characterized by its savvy online presence and use of social media to spread images of their operations. Similar videos of ISIS patrols and jihadi military footage is frequently uploaded on their YouTube and Twitter accounts, and disseminated widely.All photos via Twitter/@Nynwa_news
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