Soldiers and civilians (such as captives and "criminals") have been executed by theIslamic State (IS) bybeheading,immolation,shooting, and other means. IS has released a number of propaganda/publicity videos ofbeheadings or shootings of captives.Houtat Sulūk is reported to be a mass grave.[1][2]
| Victim(s) | Sex(s) | Nationality(s) of victim(s) | Date of execution (approx.) | Place of execution (approx.) | Method(s) | Reason(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 Indian migrant workers | ? | Indian | June 2014 | Mosul,Iraq | Unknown execution method | Failure to payRansom |
| 1,095–1,700 Iraqi soldiers | M | Iraqi | June 12, 2014 | Tikrit, Iraq | Shooting | Sectarian violence against Shi’ite Muslims inIraq |
| 200 Syrian soldiers | M | Syrian | July 16–26, 2014 | Palmyra,Syria | Shooting | Revenge against the Syrian regime |
| 75 Syrian soldiers | M | Syrian | July 25, 2014 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Holding position in Raqqa under allegiance toBashar al-Assad |
| James Wright Foley | M | American | August 19, 2014 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Retaliation for theAmerican airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq[3] |
| 250 Syrian soldiers | M | Syrian | August 27–28, 2014 | Tabqa, Syria | Shooting | Revenge against the Syrian regime |
| Sgt. Ali al-Sayyed | M | Lebanese | August 28, 2014 | Arsal,Lebanon | Beheading | To send a message to Lebanon[4] |
| Unnamed Peshmerga soldier | M | Kurdish | August 29, 2014 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message to thePeshmerga |
| Steven Joel Sotloff | M | Israeli-American | September 2, 2014 | Badiya, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom and continued Americanairstrikes against theIslamic |
| Sol. Abbas Medlej | M | Lebanese | September 6, 2014 | Arsal, Lebanon | Beheading and shooting | Attempting to escape from Islamic State captors |
| David Cawthorne Haines | M | British | September 13, 2014 | Badiya, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom andBritish airstrikes against the Islamic State |
| Samira Saleh Ali al-Naimi | F | Iraqi | September 22, 2014 | Mosul, Iraq | Shooting | Criticizing thedestruction of mosques and ancient artifacts, as well as being an “apostate” |
| Hervé Gourdel | M | French | September 24, 2014 | Tikjda,Algeria | Beheading | French airstrikes against the Islamic State |
| Alan Henning | M | British | October 3, 2014 | Badiya, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom and the continued British airstrikes against the Islamic State |
| Sergei Gorbunov | M | Russian | October 25, 2014 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Maj. Peter Edward Abdul-Rahman Kassig | M | American | November 16, 2014 | Dabiq, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom and thebeginning ofAmerican airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria |
| 21 Syrian soldiers | M | Syrian | November 16, 2014 | Dabiq, Syria | Beheading | To send a message to the Syrian regime andWestern nations |
| 100 foreign Islamic State fighters | ? | ? | December 2014 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Deserting from the Islamic State and trying to escape Raqqa |
| 1st LT. Muath Safi Yousef al-Kasasbeh | M | Jordanian | January 3, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Immolation | Failure to pay Ransom and in retaliation forJordanian involvement in “Crusader” airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria |
| Mamayev Jambulat Yesenjenovich | M | Kazakh | January 13, 2015 | Damascus, Syria | Shooting | Spying forRussian intelligence |
| Ashimov Sergey Nikolayevich | M | Kazakh | January 13, 2015 | Damascus, Syria | Shooting | Spying for Russian intelligence |
| Haruna Yukawa | M | Japanese | January 24, 2015 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom and to send a message toJapan |
| Sol. Hujam Surchi | M | Kurdish | January 28, 2015 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message to the Peshmerga andMasoud Barzani |
| Kenji Goto | M | Japanese | January 31, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom and to send another message to Japan |
| 10 alleged Egyptian spies | M | Egyptian | February 2015 | Sinai,Egypt | Beheading | Allegedspying for theMossad and theEgyptian army |
| Kayla Jean Mueller | F | American | February 6, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Unknown execution method, Islamic State claimed that she had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike (proven wrong) | Failure to pay Ransom |
| 1 Ghanaian and 20 Coptic Christians | M | Coptic Egyptian andGhanaian | February 15, 2015 | Tripolitania,Libya | Beheading | To send a message to theChristians and “Crusaders”, also to avenge |
| Mohamed Sa’id Ismail Musallam | M | 48-Palestinian | March 10, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Alleged spying forIsrael |
| 3 Eritrean and 30 Ethiopian Christians | M | Ethiopian andEritrean | April 19, 2015 | Cyrenaica, Libya andFezzan, Libya | Beheading and shooting | To send another message to the Christians and “Crusaders”, also to avengeMuslims who have been killed inU.S. ledcoalition airstrikes |
| Mahmud Abdul-Amir al-Khalaf | M | Iraqi | June 17, 2015 | nearthe Tigris, Iraq | Crucifixion andamputation | Spying for the Peshmerga |
| 16 Iraqi spies | M | Iraqi | June 23, 2015 | Mosul, Iraq | RPG blast,drowning and | Spying and giving away information about the Islamic State |
| Faisal Hussain al-Habib | M | Syrian | July 6, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Participating in theactivist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently” |
| Bashir Abduladhim | M | Syrian | July 6, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently” |
| Rayif al-Abd | M | Syrian | July 16, 2015 | Homs, Syria | Beheading | Fighting against the Islamic State under theSyrian army |
| 10 Afghan spies | M | Afghan | August 9, 2015 | Nangarhar,Afghanistan | IED | Spying for theTaliban |
| Tomislav Salopek | M | Croatian | August 12, 2015 | Sinai, Egypt | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Mohamed al-Mousa al-Jasim | M | Syrian | August 15, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently” |
| Abdallah al-Khalaf al-Humaid al-Aydan | M | Syrian | August 15, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently” |
| Raqan Hud Awad | M | Syrian | August 15, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Participating in the activist group “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently” |
| Khaled Mohamad al-Asaad | M | Syrian | August 18, 2015 | Palmyra, Syria | Beheading | Protecting “idols” and being an “apostate” |
| 4 Iraqi militiamen | M | Iraqi | August 30, 2015 | Anbar, Iraq | Immolation | Revenge forIraqi Soldiers andmilitiamen burning the corpses of Sunni civilians |
| 7 Peshmerga soldiers | M | Kurdish | September 30, 2015 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message to the Peshmerga and the family members of the beheaded captives |
| Muhammad Tayib Ali al-Amri | M | Libyan | October 16, 2015 | Cyrenaica, Libya | Shooting | Spying for a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| Rushdi Ageela Omran al-Masouri | M | Libyan | October 16, 2015 | Cyrenaica, Libya | Dragging | Spying for a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| Fadi Ammar Zidan | M | Syrian | October 24, 2015 | Homs, Syria | Crushing | Revenge for Fadi running over the corpses of Islamic State fighters with atank |
| Fan Jinghui | M | Chinese | November 18, 2015 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Shooting | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad[5] | M | Norwegian | November 18, 2015 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Shooting | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Khasiev Magomed | M | Russian | December 2, 2015 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Alleged spying forRussia |
| 25 Houthi soldiers | M | Yemeni | December 4, 2015 | Aden Abyan,Yemen | Beheading andvarious explosives | Revenge forHouthi attacks against the Islamic State |
| 6 Syrian spies | M | Syrian | December 4, 2015 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Beheading and shooting | Alleged spying for Israel and America |
| Muadh Fayumi | M | Syrian | December 11, 2015 | Damascus, Syria | IED | Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| Firas Qataf | M | Syrian | December 11, 2015 | Damascus, Syria | IED | Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| Javatov Migitin Amirbekovich | M | Dagestani Russian | December 24, 2015 | Dagestan, Russia | Shooting | Being agovernor ofKakamakhi |
| Ibakov Shamil Bagauddinovich | M | Dagestani Russian | December 24, 2015 | Dagestan, Russia | Shooting | Reporting an Islamic State member to authorities |
| 5 Syrian collaborators with Britain | M | Syrian | January 3, 2016 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Collaborating withBritain |
| 6 Syrian collaborators with France | M | Syrian | January 24, 2016 | Badiya, Syria | Beheading and shooting | Collaborating withFrance |
| Karim Hussein | M | Iraqi | January 30, 2016 | Baiji, Iraq | Beheading | Being part of the IraqiShi’ite militia “Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq” and fighting against the Islamic State alongside other Iraqi militias |
| 5 Iraqi collaborators with France | M | Iraqi | January 30, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Shooting | Collaborating with and spying for France |
| 4 Peshmerga soldiers | M | Kurdish | February 2, 2016 | Kirkuk, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message to the Peshmerga andAmerica |
| Muhammad Abdul-Aziz Tabsho | M | Syrian | February 5, 2016 | Aleppo, Syria | Beheading | Being anImam of a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| 300+ Iraqi soldiers, law enforcement officers and civil activists | ? | Iraqi | February 8, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Firing squad | To send a message to Iraq |
| 4 Syrian collaborators with America | M | Syrian | February 11, 2016 | Raqqa, Syria | Car bomb | Collaborating with America |
| 8 Iraqi collaborators | M | Iraqi | April 16, 2016 | Fallujah, Iraq | Beheading, shooting and detonating cord | Collaborating withIraqi police and security forces, as well as spying |
| John Bramwell Ridsdel | M | British-Canadian | April 25, 2016 | Sulu,Philippines | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Abdul-Hadi Eisa Al-Salem | M | Syrian | May 3, 2016 | Al-Tabqah, Syria | Stabbing, shooting and crucifixion | Alleged collaboration with coalition forces[6] |
| 3 Houthi soldiers | M | Yemeni | May 19, 2016 | Aden Abyan, Yemen | Beheading, shooting andstoning | To send a message to the Houthis andother factions in Yemen that are fighting against the Islamic State |
| Robert Ward Hall | M | Canadian | June 13, 2016 | Sulu, Philippines | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom |
| 5 Syrian collaborators | M | Syrian | June 24, 2016 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Beheading, stabbing,strangulation and various explosives | Collaborating with the Western coalition |
| 5 Syrian collaborators Euphrates | M | Syrian | June 28, 2016 | Abu Kamal, Syria | Beheading | Receiving help and training with American forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakening proxies” |
| Abdullah Aarf Abdul-Wahab Al-Jaheshi | M | Iraqi | July 20, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | Collaborating with and spying for France |
| Muhannad Mahmud Junaidan Khalaf Al-Sabawi | M | Iraqi | July 20, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | Collaborating with and spying for France |
| Samir Al-Hamad Majid | M | Iraqi | August 14, 2016 | Diyala, Iraq | Shooting | To send a message to Iraq |
| 6 Iraqi captives | M | Iraqi | August 15, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading and shooting | Graffiting anti Islamic State slogans and spying |
| 15 Coalition collaborators | M | Syrian andKurdish | August 25, 2016 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading and shooting | Participating in the coalition against the Islamic State |
| Slaughterhouse massacre of 16 Syrians | M | Syrian | September 12, 2016 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Exsanguination | Collaborating with the Western coalition |
| FCmdr. Ahmad Musa al-Hussein | M | Syrian | September 19, 2016 | Aleppo, Syria | Beheading and shooting with amounted machine gun | Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| 10 Iraqi captives | M | Iraqi | October 13, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Shooting | Graffiting anti Islamic State slogans and collaborating against the Islamic State |
| 4 Syrian spies | M | Syrian | October 25, 2016 | Raqqa, Syria | Crucifixion, shooting and stabbing | Spying for the Western coalition |
| 300 Iraqi civilians | ? | Iraqi | October 28-November 7, 2016 | Mosul, Iraq | Unknown execution method | Refusing to join and fight for the Islamic State |
| 3 Syrian collaborators | M | Syrian | November 1, 2016 | Abu Kamal, Syria | Beheading and shooting with avehicle mounted anti-aircraft gun | Being part of a “Western Awakening proxy” |
| 2 Iraqi spies | M | Iraqi | November 14, 2016 | nearthe Euphrates, Iraq | Shooting with a machine gun | Spying for Iraq |
| 5 Syrian collaborators Damascus | M | Syrian | December 6, 2016 | Damascus, Syria | Beheading | Training with American and Jordanian forces under the allegiance of “Western Awakening proxies” |
| Pvt. Sefter Taş | M | Turkish | December 22, 2016 | Aleppo, Syria | Immolation | Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State |
| Pvt. Fethi Şahin | M | Turkish | December 22, 2016 | Aleppo, Syria | Immolation | Turkish airstrikes against the Islamic State |
| 6 Syrian combatants | M | Syrian | December 28, 2016 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting andthrowing | Being part of or spying formultiple factions that were fighting against the Islamic State in Syria |
| ‘Umar Tariq Mahmud Mustafa at-Tai | M | Iraqi | January 4, 2017 | Mosul, Iraq | Beheading | Collaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to the Chief of Staff in the Iraqi army during theBattle of Mosul |
| Adnan Hadi Muhammad ‘Ali “Seymour” | M | Iraqi | January 4, 2017 | Mosul, Iraq | Drowning | Collaborating with and giving away information about the Islamic State to Iraqi soldiers, militiamen and coalition participants during the Battle of Mosul on an Iraqiradio broadcast podcast, causing 10-11 people to be killed in anAmerican airstrike and also to punish Adnan for the drinking of liquor that some Iraqi soldiers andmilitiamen partake in and have caused others in Mosul to partake in as well |
| 3 PKK spies | M | Syrian and Iraqi | January 7, 2017 | Deir ez-Zor, Syria | Beheading and shooting | Spying for thePKK |
| 2 PKK spies | M | Syrian | January 24, 2017 | Raqqa, Syria | Exsanguination | Spying for the PKK during theBattle of Raqqa |
| Jürgen Gustav Kantner | M | German | February 27, 2017 | Sulu, Philippines | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom |
| 1LT. Abbas Yassin al-Daraji “Abu Bakir al-Samarayi” | M | Iraqi | March 28, 2017 | Ar-Rutba, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message to Iraq |
| 4 PKK soldiers | M | Syrian | April 19, 2017 | Raqqa, Syria | Beheading | Fighting against the Islamic State during the Battle of Raqqa |
| Cpt. Petrenko Evgeny Viktorovich | M | Russian | May 8, 2017 | Badiya, Syria | Beheading | Being a Russian intelligence officer[7] |
| 7 Syrian collaborators | M | Syrian | June 18, 2017 | near theJordan–Syria border, Syria | Beheading and firing squad | Collaborating with America and Jordan |
| Isa Ali Kinash | M | Syrian | July 29, 2017 | Raqqa, Syria | Shooting | Betraying the Islamic State and collaborating with theYPG during the Battle of Raqqa |
| Mohsen Hojaji | M | Iranian | August 10, 2017 | Iraqi-Syrian border, Iraq | Beheading | To send a message toIran,“Rafidhis” (Shi’ite Muslims) and“Majusis”(Zoroastrians) |
| Umar Gul | M | Afghan | November 29, 2017 | Jalalabad, Afghanistan | Amputation and beheading | Alleged spying forAmerican andPakistani intelligence agencies |
| Cpt. Raad Khalaf al-Hamadi | M | Iraqi | December 22, 2017 | Anbar, Iraq | Shooting with a machine gun | To send a message to Iraq |
| Sol. Musaib Jasim al-Mitiri | M | Iraqi | December 22, 2017 | Anbar, Iraq | Shooting with a machine gun | To send a message to Iraq |
| Musa Abu Zammat | M | Egyptian | January 3, 2018 | Sinai, Egypt | Shooting | Smuggling weapons fromRafah toGaza, as well as collaborating withHamas and theal-Qassam Brigades |
| Muhannad Touqan Abu Ammar | M | Syrian Druze | August 2, 2018 | As-Suwayda, Syria | Beheading | Failure to pay Ransom |
| Louisa Vesterager Jespersen | F | Danish | December 17, 2018 | Toubkal,Morocco | Beheading and stabbing | Revenge for theBattle of Hajin |
| Maren Ueland | F | Norwegian | December 17, 2018 | Toubkal, Morocco | Beheading and stabbing | Revenge for the Battle of Hajin |
| Sgt. Christopher Omogbai | M | Nigerian | December 8, 2019 | Borno,Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message toNigerian soldiers andlaw enforcement |
| Sgt. Yakubu Bandi | M | Nigerian | December 8, 2019 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement |
| Sgt. Yusuf Sulaiman | M | Nigerian | December 8, 2019 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigerian soldiers and law enforcement |
| 11 Nigerian Christians | M | Nigerian | December 26, 2019 | Borno, Nigeria | Beheading and shooting | Revenge for the deaths ofAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi andAbul-Hasan al-Muhajir, also to send a message to Christians |
| Unnamed Nigerian Christian | M | Nigerian | January 18, 2020 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message toNigerian Christians |
| Sol. Dandulum Sanjaman Daniel | M | Chadian | April 25, 2020 | Mayo-Kebbi,Chad | Shooting | To send a message to Chad |
| Insp. Johanah James | M | Nigerian | June 11, 2020 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigeria |
| LCpl. Emannuel Oscar | M | Nigerian | June 11, 2020 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigeria |
| 5 Nigerian Christians | M | Nigerian | December 29, 2020 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigerian Christians |
| 11 Hazara Shi’ites | M | Pakistani Hazara | January 3, 2021 | Machh,Pakistan | Exsanguination | To persecute Hazaras and Shi’ite Muslims |
| Nabil Habashi Salama | M | Coptic Egyptian | April 17, 2021 | Sinai, Egypt | Shooting | To send a message and warning to Coptic Christians in Egypt |
| 2 Egyptian tribal fighters | M | Egyptian | April 17, 2021 | Sinai, Egypt | Shooting | Fighting alongside the Egyptian army |
| 20 Nigerian Christians | M | Nigerian | May 10, 2022 | Borno, Nigeria | Beheading and shooting | Revenge for the deaths ofAbu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi andAbu Hamza Al-Qurashi, also to send a message to Christians |
| Sol. Mohammud Abdullahi | M | Nigerien | July 10, 2022 | Diffa,Niger | Shooting | To send a message to the people of Diffa andNigerien soldiers |
| 4 Cameroonian Christians | M | Cameroonian | January 9, 2024 | Bargaram,Cameroon | Shooting | Revenge for theIsraeli assault and airstrikes in Gaza that started in 2023, also to send a message to Christians andJews |
| Sol. Kali | M | Nigerian | April 16, 2024 | Borno, Nigeria | Shooting | To send a message to Nigeria |
By June 2014, according to United Nations reports, ISIL had killed hundreds of prisoners of war[8] and over 1,000 civilians.[9][10][11] Specific incidents involving the killing of military prisoners including the mass killing of up to 250Syrian Army soldiers nearTabqa Air base,[8] and killings that took place inCamp Speicher (1,095–1,700 Iraqi soldiers shot and "thousands" more "missing")[12][13] and theShaer gas field (200 Syrian soldiers shot).[14] ISIL was reported to have beheaded about 100 foreign fighters as deserters who tried to leaveRaqqa.[15]
Among the known killings of religious and minority group civilians carried out by ISIL are those in the villages and towns ofQiiniyeh (70–90 Yazidis killed),Hardan (60 Yazidis killed),Sinjar (200–500 Yazidis killed),Ramadi Jabal (60–70 Yazidis killed),Dohula (50 Yazidis killed),Khana Sor (100 Yazidis killed),Hardan (250–300 Yazidis killed), al-Shamal (dozens of Yazidis killed),Kocho (400 Yazidis killed and 1,000 abducted),Jadala (14 Yadizis killed)[18] and Beshir (700 Shia Turkmen killed),[citation needed] and others committed nearMosul (670 Shia inmates of the Badush prison killed),[citation needed] and inTal Afar prison, Iraq (205 Yazidis killed for refusing conversion).[18]
ISIL has tortured and murdered both local and foreign journalists,[19][20] creating whatReporters Without Borders calls "news blackholes" in areas controlled by ISIL. ISIL fighters have reportedly been given written directions to kill or capture journalists.[21]
ISIL has also murdered aid workers.
The Kassigs acknowledged on Thursday that they adopted Peter as an infant.