It declared a Sunni caliphate in 2014 after sweeping through the third of Iraq's territory where Arab Sunnis predominate, executing Shi'ite soldiers who failed to flee in time. More than a dozen residents said soldiers had painted the slogans after their arrival. Three Shi'ite soldiers from an infantry unit confirmed it, saying they had painted such slogans themselves or seen other soldiers doing it. Next to him stood other Shi'ite soldiers, one wearing a green Shi'ite head banner, another a Barcelona soccer shawl. Reuters counted more than 30 military vehicles with flags showing Hussein or Ali over the past week of reporting in Mosul.

Source: Egypt Independent December 03, 2016 08:03 UTC