Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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(CNN) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently expressed satisfaction at the pace and success of the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS, but the shocking brutality of the terrorist group shows no signs of letting up, as evidenced by propaganda videos released overnight showcasing the organization's stronghold throughout much of Iraq and Syria.
One video show captured Iraqi soldiers are rounded up in vehicles, forced to dig their own mass graves, and then executed at point blank range.
Another shows the violent battle for the Syrian city of Kobani, using a drone to highlight where suicide attacks were carried out.
In other disturbing images, ISIS terrorists can be seen throwing a man accused of being gay off the top of a building and then stoning him to death.
Isis tactics are considered so extreme they evoked revulsion from, of all things, an al Qaeda affiliate. A top leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, which just slaughtered American hostage Luke Somers, held a press conference in which he described these beheadings as barbaric, and accused ISIS of driving a wedge between jihadi factions.
Al Qaeda in Yemen released a hostage video of Somers last week threatening to execute him, and then killed him during a rescue attempt by Navy SEALs. How can they attempt to take the high road with ISIS?
Foundation for Defense of Democracies' senior fellow Daveed Gartenstein-Ross discusses in the video above.
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