NINAWA, Iraq
A video released Friday shows Daesh militants slaughtering three Kurdish peshmerga hostages in what they said was a response to peshmerga and U.S.-led airstrikes against Daesh strongholds.
The video showed three Daesh militants, who spoke Kurdish, blaming the Kurdish Regional Government for fighting the militant group under what they termed the "crusaders coalition."
The victims were wearing orange jumpsuits and reportedly had their heads cut off.
Daesh militants had earlier threatened the peshmerga forces with killing one of their hostages for "each missile they launch" against Daesh strongholds.
At least 17 Kurdish peshmerga fighters were captured by Daesh on Jan. 30 and were threatened to be executed on the Day of Newroz -- a spring festival that falls on March 21 each year and is celebrated mainly by the country's Kurdish population.
Iraqi forces, backed by Shiite militias and Kurdish forces, have been battling Daesh since June 2014 when the armed group seized control of Mosul and much of northern and western Iraq.
