Islamic State (Isis) fighters abducted three reporters in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday (24 October), according to a human rights official who spoke to the Spanish news agency, Efe.

The captives were identified as TV correspondent Talal Qais and cameramen Walid Akidi and Ashraf Abadi.

The head of the Iraqi Committee to Protect Journalists, Ibrahim al-Sarai, said said several journalists have been abducted by Isis.

They include Al-Mosulia TV channel presenter Maysaloon Jawadi, who was murdered, and two cameramen, Hisham Hirbawi and Gala al-Abbadi.

The Paris-based press freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has condemned Isis for its "criminal and fanatical persecution of journalists."

*There is contradictory information about the fate of Mohanad Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi journalist thought to be held by Isis in Mosul since 13 October. Some early reports suggested he had been killed; later reports say otherwise.

The confusion demonstrates the difficulty of obtaining reliable information from either Iraq or Syria.

RSF says the regions are "news black holes", keeping the world in the dark about the reality on the ground.

Sources: IANS/EFE via Deccan Herald/Reporters Without Borders