ISIS fighters believed to be executed by Libyan soldiers in newly surfaced video
A shocking new video has emerged that purportedly shows nearly 20 ISIS fighters being executed in Libya.
The gruesome video in which 18 militants were reportedly shot point blank in the back of the head by soldiers from the forces led by General Khalifa Haftar in the Libyan National Army (LNA). Senior leader of the troop, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, is seen reading charges before carrying out one of the executions himself, according to Al-Jazeera.
It is believed the executions were carried out on July 17, but the video was first posted on Sunday.
In the video, a man can be seen reading from a piece of paper and men in military uniform can be seen walking up to their targets, taking one each, and unleashing a hail of bullets.
The soldiers keep firing even as the kneeling ISIS militant fall face-first into the ground.
The soldiers then walk off and more appear to carry out the same punishment to a second row of militants. The process was repeated until all the militants were dead, according to the Daily Mail.
The video comes just days after the United Nation’s human rights spokesperson, Liz Throssell called for the LNA, which controls the eastern part of Libya, to investigate summary executions of prisoners.
“We are deeply concerned that, after recent fighting in Benghazi, people taken prisoner by members of the Libyan National Army, which effectively controls eastern Libya, may be at imminent risk of torture and even summary execution,” Throssell said according to the Daily Mail. “Reports have suggested the involvement of Special Forces, a unit aligned with the LNA, in torturing detainees and summarily executing at least 10 captured men.”
The LNA has been pushing to expand its presence in central and southern Libya, where it has been competing for control with forces linked to the UN-backed government in Tripoli and other forces.
A separate video circulating on social media in March allegedly showed al-Werfalli shooting dead three men who were kneeling and facing a wall with their hands tied behind their backs, according to Throssell.
In June, two further videos appeared to show executions carried out by LNA fighters on the senior officer’s orders.
“One of these videos, which emerged on 9 June, shows four men kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs who are shot dead as al-Werfalli watches,” Throssell said.
“The latest video, which was posted on social media this month, seems to shows LNA fighters kicking and taunting prisoners, while al-Werfalli is apparently heard accusing two men who have their hands tied behind their backs of belonging to terrorist groups,” she said.
