ISIS Beheads Two Women for ‘Witchcraft’

A Syrian watchdog group reports that ISIS has beheaded two women and their husbands in the eastern governorate of Deir ez-Zor, in what appears to be the first public beheading of civilian women by the militant group. The couples were accused to using "magic for medicine." The group has previously executed women fighting for Kurdish militias, but has shied away from publicly killing female hostages or women living under its rule. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Rami Abdul Rahman, who leads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said activists who provide information to his group witnessed the beheadings. “They saw it with the own eyes,” Abdul Rahman said. He said because ISIS often does not allow residents to record events without their permission, the witnesses did not capture any video, photos or audios of the beheadings. Rather, members of ISIS urged nearby residents to witness the beheadings, Abdul Rahman said.