(CNN) -- The video clip lasts a mere 35 seconds. It's night. Six men, illuminated by a flashlight, are sitting with their hands tied behind their backs and with various types of blindfolds.
More men huddle behind
them in the dark. In front of them is a pit, apparently freshly dug, and
on the other side of the pit sits another man similarly bound and
blindfolded.
Two seconds into the clip, someone says, "Jahiz?" "Ready?"
At three seconds a man extends his right arm into the light, holding a pistol.
At six seconds the first
shot is fired into the back of the first man's head. The man with the
pistol moves decisively, without hesitation, shooting one after the
other in the back of the head. It would appear he has done this before
many times.
Eleven seconds into the
video clip, you can hear what sounds like open faucets. It's the sound
of blood gushing from the head wounds. And the gushing sound gets louder
and louder.
Twenty-six seconds after
the first shot is fired, a total of 14 men -- some of whom appear to be
teenagers -- are dead or dying, some slumping into the pit.
This video clip was one
of a variety recently obtained by CNN from Syrian activists. They
document atrocities committed not by the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad, but rather by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,
known as ISIS, which emerged last year as a major power in
opposition-controlled parts of northern Syria.
In the areas controlled
by ISIS, public floggings and executions have become commonplace. Most
recently ISIS has battled other opposition groups in fighting that has
left well over 2,000 people dead.
Even Al Qaeda's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, has demanded ISIS leave Syria.
The material CNN
obtained provides a snapshot of the inner workings of ISIS, a group
using methods and tactics not unlike those of the regime that Syrians
rose up against almost three years ago.
The material provided by
the activists was found in a house in Aleppo occupied by one "Abu Ahmed
Al-Iraqi," or "the Iraqi." As is so often the case with members of
these radical groups, this is not his real name. He abandoned the video
clips, as well as the camera they were shot with, when ISIS retreated
from the area during fighting against other opposition groups.
Activists describe Abu
Ahmed as an "amir," a commander, responsible for carrying out justice,
ISIS style. He is, in effect, judge, jury and executioner. He appears to
be the man who carried out the executions described above.
The other clips include
eight interrogations of men, most of whom are members of opposition
factions not affiliated with ISIS, all operating in or around the town
of Al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo. It's not clear whether Abu Ahmed
Al-Iraqi is doing the interrogations, but the strong Iraqi accent of the
interrogators leaves no doubt about where they come from.
No torture occurs on
camera, but it's clear the subjects are under duress. They are all
blindfolded, and several sweat profusely. The line of questioning is
persistent, always focusing on the activities and opinions of opposition
members. Not once in the course of the lengthy interrogations is a
single question posed about the Assad regime. In fact, it's not even
mentioned.
There are veiled
threats; one of the men, who identifies himself as a doctor named Basil,
is asked if he ever wants to see his two children again. Another young
man, Mohamed, is told to speak the truth to "save himself." He responds
by saying, "I will speak the truth, even if I lose my head."
ISIS is clearly worried
that many Syrians view them as unwanted interlopers. Thousands of young
men have flocked from around the world, including Europe and North
America, to join the fight against the Assad regime, and many of the
more radical among them have joined ISIS and other jihadi groups.
You can hear what sounds like open faucets. It's the sound of blood gushing from the head wounds.
At one point the
interrogator demands of the aforementioned Mohamed: "Didn't people say
ISIS are strangers? That they wear "chabounat?" Chabounat is a derisive
term referring to the short jalabiyas, or robes, worn by hard-line
Islamists to copy the attire of the Prophet Mohammed. Chabounat in this
case might be the equivalent of petticoats. Mohamed wisely claims
complete ignorance.
From the video clips, it appears that Abu Ahmed has made a life for himself in Syria.
In a series of clips he
is instructing a young woman in a black coat how to use an AK-47 assault
rifle and a pistol. Her face is exposed -- she is not wearing the
"niqab," which completely covers the face and has become de rigueur
dress for women in areas controlled by ISIS. She speaks with a Syrian
accent.
He's also getting around
in a late-model black BMW SUV. And in another video clip, he is doing
target practice in the garden of a high-walled villa.
A fancy car, nice house, interrogations and mass executions: meet the new boss in this part of Syria. Same as the old boss.
posted by Emanto Ngaloru Feb 18, 2014.
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