Report: Islamic State Beheads Own Jihadis Accused of Spying and Stealing

Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) fighters have reportedly turned the sword on at least two of their own, after the group was said to have publicly beheaded fellow jihadis who have been accused of spying and embezzlement.

The first alleged criminal was executed on charges of “banditry and robbing Muslims’ money,” while the other was beheaded because he was “dealing with the regime and throwing electronic chips to keep track of Mujahedeen (Muslims fighting in a war),” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has claimed. The Observatory said that ISIS jihadis chose to behead the men instead of employing other barbaric options such as crucifixion.

In early October, the Islamic State reportedly beheaded seven men and three women in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria. Many described the act as a method to instill fear into individuals who considered challenging the authority of the terror group.

Charlie Winter of the Quilliam Foundation told The Independent:

I[SIS] is known for crucifying those who have tried to rebel against them. They do not flinch at killing anyone if they have committed a serious crime which goes against their interpretation of sharia, such as usury or embezzlement.

Jihadist groups have a strict no corruption policy, meaning that while they can benefit financially from charging bank transactions and claiming a percentage of everyone’s monthly income, they don’t extort people like some secular groups have done in the past.

Separately, the advances of the Islamic State have reportedly stalled on the Syria-Turkey border town of Kobani. Some have attributed the slowdown of ISIS to U.S. airstrikes and a well-coordinated Kurdish resistance.