The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a man and a woman from “Al-Mashahdah” tribe in Al-Hajanah village were shot dead by members of an ISIS cell in Tayyib Al-Fal village in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor for “practicing witchcraft and committing heresy.” The attackers left a slip of cardboard on the victims’ bodies with a note written on it which read “they practiced witchcraft.”

This coincides with ISIS escalating attacks in SDF-held areas in north and east Syria, as well as the group’s retaliation over the anti-ISIS campaign which was launched by security services in the Hol Camp in August.

SOHR has documented 141 attacks carried out by ISIS, including armed attacks and explosions, in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration since early 2022. According to SOHR statistics, these operations left 112 persons dead: 39 civilians, including two women and a child, and 73 members of SDF, the Internal Security Forces and other military formations operating in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration.

The observatory noted that these attacks did not include the operation of Ghuwayran prison, which left heavy losses.