Da’oud and Sa’ad Georges – a disabled father and son – were found dead outside of the city of Bashiqa in the Mosul District. The two men were kidnapped by Islamic State militants , who proceeded to starve the Georges men; ultimately, leading to their untimely death in this historic, Assyrian city in northern Iraq. Both of these civilians were reportedly deaf and mute, making them unable to communicate without sign language. Upon the discovery of these victims, Muslim neighbors retrieved the men and buried their bodies, noting that the two bodies were extremely malnourished.

This heinous crime is another blow to the civilians in the Mosul District, as the Islamic State continues to institutionalize their form of governance in northwestern Iraq. Despite the recent success at the Mosul Dam, many of the cities in the Mosul District remain controlled by the Islamic State. In particular, the city of Bashiqa was once a tourist attraction with its illustrious history and majestic landscape; today, most of the Christians and Yazidi Kurds have fled the area, leaving behind a cultivated society.

The Islamic State has continued its reign of terror in the Levant and Iraq, executing many civilians for alleged crimes against the Caliphate. After the capture of Mosul by the Islamic State, many politicians feared their spread could be disastrous for a country healing from a devastating war. In response to their exponential growth in the Levant and Iraq, the United States has recently carried out numerous airstrikes to combat the presence of the I.S. in Iraq.