DAMASCUS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants killed more than 160 Syrian soldiers who were captured by the terrorist group in the northern al-Raqqa province, according to activists' reports and online video footages published on Thursday.
The militants captured those Syrian soldiers who were fleeing the al-Tabaqa airbase that was recently seized by the IS in al- Raqqa, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
According to the video footage, tens of Syrian soldiers stripped of their uniforms and herded, in their underwear only, toward an unknown location where the IS militants started summarily executing them. Other activists placed the number of the slain soldiers at 250.
On Aug. 24, the Syrian troops evacuated their positions at the al-Tabaqa airbase in northern province of al-Raqqa on Sunday after intense battles with the IS militants, who have succeeded in capturing the facility.
The airbase was the last standing stronghold for the Syrian troops in al-Raqqa, which has largely fallen to the IS fighters since a year ago.
The Islamic State, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, has recently proclaimed to establish an " Islamic Caliphate" in parts of Syria and Iraq, threatening the political geography in the region.
The group, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who is said to be commanding over 70,000 fighters, claimed their goal is to establish an Islamic state in Iraq and Syria instead of shunning aside expanding more into other Arab countries.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1liUmqw
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