In a sign of increasing resistance to the Islamic State militant group's occupation of Mosul, a prominent Isis military commander was gunned down along with two of his fighters by a group of unidentified gunmen.
"A group of unidentified gunmen shot an Isis convoy, killing a top Isis leader called Abu Dajana Saudi as well as two militants," a well-informed source told the Kurdish News source Rudaw.
This is said to be the second high profile killing involving an Isis leader in Mosul. In November last year, Abu-Anas Iraqi was shot dead by an armed gang while travelling in his car.
Similarly in Syria in January an Islamic State executioner, who carried out beheadings for the jihadist group, was found with his head cut off.
The body of Egyptian-born Abu Zaid al-Masri, the deputy emir of the feared al-Hesbah (or Hisbah) force in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, was recovered near a power plant in al-Mayadeen city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported.
The corpse bore signs of torture and carried the message "This is evil, you Sheikh" written on it. The severed head also had a cigarette in its mouth.
There has been increasing frustration against Isis and its impractical rules that are being forced onto the people living in areas in Iraq and Syria captured by the radical group.
Isis that claims to follow Sharia law, has beheaded, crucified and even thrown people down from buildings for crimes such as stealing, smoking or being 'gay.'
