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'Ex-IS member' arrested after 'rape, stoning to death' of Iraqi child in northern Syria
A suspected former Islamic State group militant has been arrested for the allegedtortured,and murder of a seven-year-old orphan boy in the north-eastern Syrian city of , according to Syria-focusedmedia outlets and monitoring groups.
The boy, Yassin al-Mahmoud, fromwas reportedly stoned to death.
The suspected perpetrator, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq Al-Salama, an allegedformer IS memberhad arrived in the city 10 days ago, monitor Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) told .
Local reports circulating suggested Al-Salama was a member of the opposition , a Turkish-backed group thatcontrols Ras al-Ain, but the SNHR said this is "inaccurate" and that the suspect is a civilian.
"We don’t think he's a member of the National Army or any brigade… but they [Syrian National Army] failed to protect this child… from this perspective they failed and hold responsibility," SNHR chairman Fadel Abdul Ghany told .
أقدم عنصر في لواء صقور الشمال على اغتصاب الطفل العراقي ياسين محمود في مدينة رأس العين ومن ثم قتله ضرباً بالحجارة وإلقاء جثته في حفرة
— Abdullah Almousa (@Abu_Orwa91)
عثر على الطفل وعرض على الطبيب الشرعي
صور الجثة وعلامات الاغتصاب والقتل تزلزل العرش
الجيش الوطني مطالب بالقصاص قبل شروق الشمس
"We condemn this barbaric behaviour and requested an investigation from the police and a public fair trial to hold him [the perpetrator] accountable."
Al-Salama reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2015, and his family has reportedly released a statement distancing themselves from him.
They confirmed the suspect was detained in aSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prison in Deir az-Zor for five years, Syria TV reported,and hadreached Ras al-Ain through smugglers.
They also confirmed that he does not belong to any military faction. cannot independently verify the statement.
Ghany believesthe alleged perpetrator was detained by the Kurdish-led SDF in 2015 and released in 2018.
He calledfor a "deep monitoring" ofindividualsreleased from detention to prevent crimes and other activities.
Al-Mahmoud was reported to have lived with his mother and grandfather prior to his death.
Syria has been riddled with instability since 2011 when President Bashar al-Assad’s regime brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Over 500,000 people have been killed in the war-torn country since, the vast majority civilianskilled in regime bombing.