latest reported atrocity, IS members say they have executed (an unknown number of) Syrians who were captured when the militants seized an airbase in the province of Raqqa at the weekend, according to a video posted on You Tube on Thursday. The number killed varies from 120 to over 250.

The Islamic State is described as a 'radical offshoot of al Qaeda' by pro-Western alliances and its media.

Regardless of the rhetoric used, the Islamic State is continuing to use military force to illicitly invade and dominate regions within the Middle East.