ISIS uncovers rebellion plot in Mosul, executes 58

Islamic State (ISIS) thwarted a rebellion plot by a defected ISIS commander in Mosul last week, according to residents and Iraqi security officials. ISIS executed 58 people suspected of involvement in the plot after it was uncovered. Residents said the suspects were drowned and then buried outside the city, according to reporting by Reuters. The plotters hoped to weaken ISIS defense in Mosul in advance of a planned ground assault by Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S. air power. Dissidents hid weapons in three locations throughout Mosul and planned to use them as security forces closed in on the city. The rebellion is a clear sign that ISIS is losing support not only from the population, but also its own members, according to Sabah al-Numani, an Iraqi counterterrorism service spokesman in Baghdad. Mosul is the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq.