MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – The Kurdistan Democratic Party has confirmed that Islamic State (IS) militants have executed Kurdish journalist Muhanad Akidi, Rudaw English reported.
"Islamic State executed journalist Muhanad Akidi today in Ghazlani military bases, KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] official in Mosul said," Rudaw English, an online newspaper published by the Rudaw Media Company in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, said on its official Facebook page Monday.
"Akidi was kidnapped by the group two months ago in Mosul," Rudaw English added.
The IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. The radical Sunni group is known for its extreme violence, including against journalists. Among IS victims are American reporter James Foley and American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff.
In June 2014, the IS extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories it had seized. Kurdish forces have been carrying out attacks against the IS, trying to push the militants out of Iraqi cities.
The United States launched airstrikes against IS insurgents fighting on Iraqi soil in August. The military campaign was subsequently extended to Syria, with an international coalition taking part in the airstrikes.
On September 12, the UK Ministry of Defense approved the deployment of a small team of non-combat army trainers in Iraq, to train Kurdish forces that are helping fight IS militants in the country.
