ISIS Beheads 2 Syrian Women For Practicing 'Witchcraft And Sorcery'

Over the last two days, militants of the Islamic State group beheaded two women in Syria, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reportedly said Tuesday. Although ISIS has, in the past, executed several people who do not conform to its interpretation of Islam, this is the first time women have been decapitated, the Observatory reportedly said.

“The Islamic State group executed two women by beheading them in Deir Ezzor [also known as Deir el Zour] province, and this is the first time the Observatory has documented women being killed by the group in this manner,” Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Observatory, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The women were reportedly beheaded along with their husbands for practicing “witchcraft and sorcery.”

The Sunni militant group, which currently controls parts of Iraq and Syria -- including the city of Deir el Zour located in the eastern part of the country -- has gained notoriety for employing gruesome techniques to execute people. In the past, several women have been stoned to death by the group for “adultery.”

According to an earlier report by the Observatory, since declaring its “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq on June 29 last year, ISIS has executed over 3,000 people, including nearly 1,800 civilians. At least 74 children are believed to be among those killed.

Moreover, in recent weeks, the Observatory has documented several people, including children, being crucified and whipped for improper fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.