For months its brutality has been documented in propaganda designed to frighten the world into considering its terrorist cause.
But
footage of life under the rule of ISIS has revealed the lasting effects
of the group's barbarity, with women and children strolling past the
decapitated bodies of Syrian soldiers in the city of Raqqa without
giving them a second glance.
Unaffected
by the sight of the decaying corpses, civilians do not even acknowledge
the men's impaled heads positioned on fences across the city which has
become a recruiting hub for extremists.
Another day of terror at the hands of
ISIS: Civilians walk past bodies lying across the pavements in Raqqa
seemingly unaffected by the horrors being carried out
The decapitated bodies of Syrian soldiers were left scattered in the streets of Raqqa by ISIS fighters
Heads impaled on spikes look down on the city's pavements in a constant reminder of the group's barbarity
It is
among the most gruesome hallmarks of life under the group's control
since jihadis stormed President Assad's army and took hold earlier this
year.
The
video, filmed in July, offers a rare glimpse into civilian life since
ISIS launched a campaign of terror against Syria and Iraq.
Scattered
corpses lie on pavements and roads with some tied to fencing, their
severed heads stuck between their legs, as black-clad ISIS fighters
patrol the streets.
In
other parts of the town preachers urge children, with black balaclavas
disguising their innocent faces, to disobey their parents and join the
militant group.
'I
swear to god we will see a caliphate based on the prophecy. Be with the
state or you will be the ones who get killed,' a man threatened one
group of silent youngsters to a backdrop of the group's ominous flag.
While
the corpses of President Assad's troops will be removed within three
days, the threat of death is enduring for everyone else, one civilian
revealed.
'They hate to see the murder but they cannot speak because of fear,' one civilian living in the city told MailOnline.
Soldiers decapitated bodies were tied to fences with their trousers around their knees in the horrifying images
The corpses were removed within three days though it is not known where they were taken, a civilian revealed
By-passers do not raise an eyebrow at the horrific scenes with ISIS fighters patrolling the city's streets
JIHADIS' HORROR HUB: RAQQA REMAINS A STRONGHOLD FOR ISIS FANATICS
As
American and Arab forces continue to bomb ISIS strongholds across Syria
and Kurdish forces sustain a ferocious defence of the Turkish border,
Raqqa remains under the sinister rule of extremists.
Among
the most prolific images of terrorist fighters are those taken in the
city which has been rendered a 'ghost town' by fanatics patrolling the
streets in black uniforms and balaclavas.
Footage
of young soldiers brandishing machine guns and walking in single file
emerged online as early as January this year, while the civilian website
Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently offers a backlog of the atrocities
residents have been subjected to.
Just this month a 17-year-old was crucified in the town's centre, alleged to have taken photographs of jihadis in action.
Several
weeks ago photographs emerged of ISIS fighters splashing around in
hotel swimming pools and dining in expensive restaurants while the
town's hospitals shut down and children were banished to training
camps.
Meanwhile residents home have been ravaged by what effects the airstrikes have had on the area.
'Our
city will be destroyed, we will pay with our blood,' one resident said,
adding: 'It will be a very big war, and in big wars, the civilian will
pay.'
Of the cameraman who captured the disturbing images, he said: 'It is possible the Daash (ISIS) (will) kill him on this.'
Earlier
this month another civilian revealed how extremists were living like
royalty in the town while ordinary residents plunged further into
poverty.
Using
a pseudonym he revealed how jihadis had taken control of the town's
food supplies and marched through its mostly deserted streets waving the
group's flag.
Since
the haunting footage was taken in summer, insiders say the city has
quietened with the fear of airstrikes at the hands of American and Arab
forces imminent.
Once
heaving with rows of ISIS soldiers, a member of the group, Raqqa Is
Being Silently Slaughtered, likened its streets to a ghost town in a
recent online post.
American
and Arab forces have launched a series of airstrikes on areas they
consider ISIS strongholds including the border town of Kobane, where
Kurdish fighters continue to wage bloody warfare on the group.
A picture taken in June shows an ISIS
fighter jubilantly brandishing the terror group's flags through the
deserted streets of Raqqa
Young soldiers in balaclavas and black uniforms patrol the streets of Raqqa with guns earlier this year
Life has become easier for fighters in
Raqqa under Islamic State rule, with jihadists rewarded with higher
salaries and bonuses while civilians plunge further into poverty
Dozens have been buried in the Turkish town of Suruc as the battle for Kobane, once considered an ISIS stronghold, rages on.
At the beginning of the month jihadis approached the town from the desert, planting their flag on Tilsehir hill.
Yesterday,
after weeks of bloody conflict and devastating air strikes, it was
replaced by a yellow Kurdish flag in one of the first signs of hope for
fighters defending the border.
But
with so many refugees having fled the grasp of fanatics in recent
months, dozens have died alone with no traces of family available to
their comrades.
An estimated 1.6million refugees have crossed the border into Turkey since fanatics took hold of more towns earlier this year.
Tilsehir Hill, where the black flag of
ISIS stood triumphantly for weeks, was obliterated by an American-Arab
airstrike earlier this week
Praying for peace: Hundreds of
mourners in the Turkish town of Suruc gather to bury Kurdish fighters
who perished in the battle for Kobane
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