Islamic State Begins Imposing Rule of Terror in Syria

As anyone who has been following international news knows by now, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS and ISIL) has managed to take over large chunks of both Syria and Iraq in an attempt to create an Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East. While the battle for the territory continue to rage on between ISIS extremists and the various armies and militias aligned against them, the United Nations has released a report documenting the reign of terror that ISIS is instituting in the areas under it’s control. While the obvious savagery and lack of compassion towards captured westerners that the terrorists have displayed is well-known to the international community due to propaganda videos of executions and confessions, this newest report focuses on the cruelty of ISIS extremists aimed at those living under their control.

Ruling under a corrupted and extremely harsh interpretation of sharia law, ISIS members have been stamping down on what they see as anti-muslim behavior using a combination of threats, torture, and executions that have horrified both citizens they rule over as well as anyone who learns about it. Using interviews from refugees who managed to escape as well as videos and photos, the UN report has painted a picture of a captive population who are terrified to even leave their houses. Among the many atrocities documented are tellings of public executions used as warnings to residents, ISIS fighters blocking access to food and medical supplies, the raping and torture of both men and women, sexual enslavement of non-Muslim women (especially Yazidis), and the use of child soldiers on the front lines. The report also talks about how ISIS soldiers have begun to base themselves in civilian houses in an attempt to hide from the US-led airstrikes that seem to be turning the tables in the war.

The report also criticizes both the underestimation of ISIS capabilities and how the lack of a solution to the Syrian crisis has led to a power vacuum that the group is exploiting. While the reports points to what people already suspected, this is the first of it’s kind actually listing what ISIS is doing. The brutality of the tactics and that ISIS uses has spread outrage throughout the Muslim world and even al-Qaeda has disavowed them over their actions. Hopefully this report will continue to turn opinions against these monsters who call themselves men.

If you’d like to read more, the link is here.