eight dead bodies hang from a metal frame in the iraq's kirkuk province in islamic state's latest public display of barbarity the gruesome images which emerged on social media  show the men's limp bodies suspended from their feet off a tall structure in the town of hawija the notorious black flag used by islamist groups like isis is displayed above them as horrified onlookers inspect the scene some of the deceased men appear to be wearing military fatigues but it is not known if they were iraqi soldiers an isis fighter believed to be abu al rahman poses triumphantly in one of the pictures   giving the one fingered salute in front of a bloodied victim's corpse scroll down for video  barbarity: eight men were found hanging from their feet in the iraqi city of hawija in the militants' latest public display of death  gruesome: the dead men were suspended from a tall structure in the same city that syrian soldiers were paraded through the streets in cages  hallmark of terror: the notorious black flag used by extremist jihadi groups like isis hung above the deceased men  death: it is unknown whether the men were iraqi soldiers, as isis' presence in the northern iraqi city grows  the same tyrant has been been pictured before alongside severed heads and masked isis fighters a shocking video released in february showed orange clad captives being paraded in cages in the same city of hawija frenzied crowds taunted the kidnapped men during the merciless procession which echoed the terrible death suffered by captured jordanian pilot moaz al kasasbeh he was also caged before a film of him being burned alive, implying the same fate would befall the trapped captives in hawija it was seen as revenge against the kurdish forces who dragged the bodies of isis fighters through the streets of northern iraq earlier that month previous reports suggest he is an iraqi national from the town of almere and the heads once belonged to members of the syrian army whom the militants captured and beheaded the extremist group has established a firm foothold in what was once an oil rich kurdish stronghold of kirkuk isis has been preparing a new base for its deadly operations in hawija as the united states train iraqi troops for an invasion to retake mosul, the international business times reports terrorist: the man pictured posing alongside the suspended men is believed to be abu al rahman  islamic state: the same man has been previously been pictured alongside armed, masked fighters believed to belong to isis  history of terror: al rahman has also been photographed giving the one fingered isis salute in front of several decapitated heads  hawija is a predominantly sunni muslim town which lies off a major highway leading to mosul and the capital baghdad since isis first invaded the city in june 2014, it progressively conquered neighbouring villages until it gained enough support from locals to establish its new headquarters there over the last nine months, its main base in iraq has been in iraq's second largest city mosul which it took over last year it has offered islamic state a military advantage due to its proximity to the syrian border, which allows them to smuggle both weapons and soldiers but a us led coalition has attacked the city with airstrikes for many months   targeting isis convoys and weapons stores trapped: a terrified kurdish prisoner looks out from his cage at a mob of jeering militants in the horrific scene in hawija  captives: each prisoner was accompanied by a black clad and flag waving jihadi   some armed with ak 47s  the americans are now training over 20,000 iraqi soldiers to retake the city from islamic state's deadly grip, us cnetral command has revealed their presence in hawija gives the militants access to anbar province and another road leading to the baiji oil refinery they lost to the iraqi military in november 2014 hawija has been a hotbed of violence april 2013   two years after the us withdrew its troops from the country it began when the government's forces raided a camp of rebels in the city on april 24 and killed dozens of civilians in the process 300 people had died as a result of the army's battle with militant groups in the region in the next three days alone
abu al rahman isis mosul syrian us northern iraqi hawija syrians iraqi second iraq
warning graphic content  the gruesome scene believed to be from the northern iraqi city of hawija  one man pictured next to the bodies appears to be notorious isis fighter  abu al rahman has been seen alongside the heads of decapitated syrians  caged syrian soldiers were mercilessly paraded through that same city  isis are preparing to move headquarters there from stronghold in mosul  us is currently training iraqi soldiers to retake iraq's second largest city 