According tothe shocking images which emerged on social media show the men's limp bodies suspended from their feet off a tall structure in the town of Hawija.The notorious black flag used by the group was displayed above the bodies as horrified onlookers inspected the scene.PHOTO: AFP/FILESome of the deceased men appeared to be wearing military uniforms but it is not known if they were Iraqi soldiers.However, witnesses quoted by local Iraqi reports said the bodies, strung upside down, were bodies of Iraqi government soldiers killed while battling IS forces in Tikrit, located about 74 miles away.One of the pictures shows an IS fighter believed to be Abu Al Rahman posing triumphantly - giving the one-fingered salute in front of a bloodied victim's corpse.Hawija is a predominantly Sunni Muslim town which lies off a major highway leading to Mosul and the capital Baghdad, and the extremist group has established a firm foothold here.Since IS first invaded the city in June 2014, it progressively conquered neighbouring villages until it gained enough support from locals to establish its new headquarters there.Over the last nine months, its main base in Iraq has been the country's second-largest city Mosul, which it took over last year.It has offered IS a military advantage due to its proximity to the Syrian border, which allows them to smuggle both weapons and soldiers.But a US-led coalition has attacked the city with airstrikes for many months - targeting IS convoys and weapons stores. At least 30,000 troops used jets and helicopters to try to push into the IS-held city that is only 100 miles from Baghdad,reported.