[1] For more than two years, Mohammed used the blog to report conditions and events in the Iraqi city of Mosul during the occupation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

[5] Mosul Eye began on Facebook shortly after the ISIL invasion with the goal of keeping the world updated on what was happening in the city.

The content is typically written in English and often Arabic, and is mirrored to WordPress.com and Twitter in case the blogger loses access to the Facebook page or it is censored.

[7]He described not only the destruction of ancient buildings and burning of library books, but frequent executions and torture by ISIL militants, including beheadings, amputations, public floggings, the stoning of women and murder of homosexuals.

[10] Mosul Eye quotes residents and discusses their attitudes toward the militant group, writing in February 2015, "Nowadays, people talk openly in the market about [ISIL] and its cruelty.

[12] According to a profile done by Al-Fanar Media, Mosul Eye "takes a scientific approach to information, trying to gather, categorize and verify data.

It also offers sociological and economic analysis, as when it explains how the Islamic State has drawn many of its members and support from a downtrodden rural tribe based outside Mosul; or how corruption, sectarianism and the American policy of de-Baathification, hollowed out the Iraqi army, leaving it incapable of standing up to the Islamic State.

As CNN noted, "Sometimes, Mosul Eye has been rather matter-of-fact, but in recent days, as a bloody battle looms between Iraqi forces advancing on the city and the militant ISIS combatants, the writings have turned decidedly melancholy.

"[7] On 5 November, after Iraqi forces had begun fighting in the city, the blogger wrote of his despair at the scenes of death around him, including seeing children playing with corpses of dead ISIL fighters.

"[4] According to Al-Fanar, the blogger appeared to be highly educated, making him an additional target of ISIL, which is suspicious of both religious and secular academics.