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Sickening footage has appeared online of what is claimed to show ISIS thugs gunning down 200 Syrian children in a savage mass execution.

The video, which has been circulated by a Yemen-based anti-ISIS activist, shows juveniles bound and forced to lie face down in a line.

The killers then open fire with automatic rifles. The raw footage is too horrifying to be shown.

The footage has not been verified, but one campaign group claims the gunmen are Islamic State fighters.

Others have claimed it shows Mujahadeen fighters in Chechnya while still more say it shows the Syrian Army.

The video, which has been online for at least a year, sparked revulsion when it was shared widely this week.

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Meanwhile, it emerged today that the United Nations is expecting huge numbers of civilians to flee when Iraqi forces mount an offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.

It is not clear when Iraqi forces will be ready to attack the northern city.

The much anticipated counter-offensive has been repeatedly postponed because Iraqi forces are unprepared and bogged down in battle elsewhere.

* This story has been updated to reflect the disputed claims of what the footage shows, which we are unable to verify.