Isis: Video shows Iraqi army executing young boy for alleged Isis links

A gruesome video showing alleged members of the Iraqi army and of a Shia militia executing a young Sunni boy for his purported links to the Islamic State (Isis) has made the rounds on social media.

The footage shows a group of militiamen surrounding a terrified kid who is on his knees and questioned. They ask him if he fired at them, to which the child replies "I did not fire a single bullet".

The boy begs for them to spare his life but the execution order is given. One fighter for the Iraqi army says "What's wrong with you? He's a kid". That leads to an argument but ultimately the boy is executed with automatic weapons.

Contrary to reports on British media, the video and report of the execution are not new and date back to January this year, as reported by local paper al-Karok. The article indicates that the killing took place in the Salahuddin province, where Iraqi forces have launched an offensive to retake Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit from IS militants.

The video was posted on Monday by a Shia man called Abad Muthana on Facebook, according to IBTimes UK sources, and picked up by Syrian newspaper al-Wasat.

Others reported that the original video showed the boy running at Iraqi army with a suicide vest. The kid is then captured and executed "in the heat of the moment".

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video.