The five best Twitter accounts for Islamic State news

According to a Sky News investigation, almost 30,000 Twitter accounts have been set up by Islamic State sympathisers since the social network said it would try to stop them after the murder or US journalist James Foley.

Simultaneously an outpouring of sympathy for Foley and another American journalist Steven Sotloff who was murdered this week, and a wave of outrage over the tactics of IS has meant Twitter is now flooded with updates on the militant group.

When coupled with the confusion over the organisation's name – it has been referred to variously as Isis, Isil or IS – it can be difficult to find sound information on the latest developments in Iraq and Syria. Below are five accounts that offer excellent news, insight and analysis on Islamic State.

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Martin Chulov @martinchulov

Covering Islamic State for The Guardian is Martin Chulov. His article discussing where the militant group may next turn its attention provides a good overview of how IS uses social media and how intimately it understands its enemy. Chulov interviews senior officials from Iraq, Washington and beyond, updating his Twitter feed with insights gleaned from his reporting.

Sam Tarling @sam7tarling

Sam Tarling is a freelance photographer who has travelled to Syria six times since the civil war began, documenting how the conflict has affected ordinary citizens. His intimate portraits touch on the suffering of the millions of civilians who have been displaced by the war.

Ned Parker @nedmparker1

The Baghdad bureau chief for Reuters provided excellent coverage of the recent efforts in Iraq to replace Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister so as to end the country's political stagnation and reinvigorate its ability to combat IS. His feed is also a good source of links to Reuters reports on the militants.

Brett McGurk @brett_mcgurk

The American role in the Iraq war came to an official close at the beginning of December 2011, but since last month US warplanes have been flying combat missions over the country again. Brett McGurk provides an insight into the manoeuvrings of the US state department as America's military machine seems set to come back to life.

Donatella Rovera @DRovera

Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser is in northern Iraq, documenting the mounting "gruesome evidence" of ethnic cleansing by IS fighters. According to Amnesty, among the ethnic and religious minorities being targeted in northern Iraq are: Assyrian Christians, Turkmen Shia, Shabak Shia, members of the Yazidi faith, Kakai and Sabean Mandaeans.