Article content

BAGHDAD — The graffiti that appeared on a wall near the mosque in Mosul where the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declared his caliphate two years ago was a small but symbolic act of rebellion.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Signs of panic and rebellion in the heart of ISIL's self-proclaimed caliphate Back to video

The spray-painted letter “m” — for the Arabic word “mukawama,” meaning resistance — was part of a campaign by Kitaeb al-Mosul, an underground opposition group in the northern Iraqi city that released a video detailing their efforts this month.

ISIL reacted with swift brutality, executing three young men it accused of being involved. The militants released their own video showing the men kneeling in orange jumpsuits before being shot in the head. The letter “m” was sprayed on the wall behind them, a reference to their alleged crime. A spray can lay on the ground beside them, surrounded by blood.

In recent months, ISIL has carried out more arrests and executions such as these in a sign of desperation as it faces the prospect of losing Mosul, according to reports from inside the city.

Mosul is the largest city under ISIL’s control and is central to its narrative of having restored the Islamic caliphate. It was less than a month after Mosul fell in June 2014 that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in the mosque there and called on Muslims to follow him.