ISIS execution: bystanders in crowd volunteer to shoot dead prisoners for Islamic State militants?

Five men, thought to be convicted of "apostasy", were shot by members of the public in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq, according to Al Masdar News .

Apostasy, which means relapse, is the rejection of religion by a person who was previously a follower.

Each civilian was reportedly given a hand gun then ordered to kill the prisoners by opening fire at the same time.

The large crowds who witnessed the disturbing event in the Islamic State controlled northern Iraq province cheered on the executions, according to reports.


In this disturbing footage it appears that a number of members of the crowd put their hand up to willing take part in the killings.

At the horrific moment the victims are shot, the gunmen don't appear to be held at gunpoint by the terrorists. But it is not known if any threats were made beforehand.

It is understood though, that most of the villages in the region support ISIS.

The Nineveh Governorate was captured by ISIS insurgents on June 10, 2014 forcing an estimated 500,000 refugees to flee the area.

It was home to many historic ruins and monuments before they were destroyed by jihadists.

Since its capture fierce battles have erupted between ISIS militants and the Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

The latest execution comes after reports one of the Islamic State's most feared executioners has been killed in a coalition airstrike in Iraq.

Abu Waheeb, who appeared in countless ISIS propaganda videos, was one of the terror group's most notorious figures.

But earlier this month he was targeted in an airstrike in Iraq's western Anbar province.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said: "On May 6, a coalition airstrike targeted Abu Waheeb, Isil’s military emir for Anbar province and a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in Isil execution videos."