Islamic State jihadists have, for the first time, beheaded two women in Syria, a monitoring group said on Tuesday.
Two female civilians were executed along with their husbands over accusations of "witchcraft and sorcery," the first such execution of women in Syria.
"The Islamic State group executed two women by beheading them in Deir Ezzor province, and this is the first time the Observatory has documented women being killed by the group in this manner," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to AFP.
"It is the first time that the beheading of women, by the use of sword in public, has taken place in Syria," Rahman told Al Jazeera. He said the executions took place on Sunday and Monday.
One of the women was beheaded along with her husband in Deir Ezzor city while the other beheading took place in the group's stronghold Mayadeen, reported Reuters. The militants covered up both women and beheaded them in front of a gathering.
The Britain-based monitoring group also said that the extremist group had "crucified" five men in Mayadeen city for eating during daylight hours of the Muslim holy month of Ramandan, according to DW.
The Islamic State, also referred to as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh in Arabic, has executed more than 3,000 people, including 1,800 civilians, since the establishment of its self-proclaimed Caliphate, according to Observatory's figures, reported Al Jazeera. The jihadist group has captured large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
