The insurgent offensive in Iraq has spread to the northwest of the country, after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants captured large swathes of territory north of Baghdad recently.
On Sunday, fierce fighting erupted in the town of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, which is home to both Shi’ites and Sunnis. Government forces used helicopter gunships to fight against ISIL militants on the outskirts of the town.
A series of pictures posted on the Internet appear to show ISIL gunmen shooting dozens of men, unarmed and lying prone on the ground. In several pictures, the black Islamist ISIL flag can be seen. Others show ISIL fighters apparently seizing facilities in Tikrit. The authenticity of the pictures has not yet been verified.