'Ex-IS member' arrested after 'rape, stoning to death' of Iraqi child in northern Syria

A civilian, who is reportedly a former Islamic State group member, allegedly tortured and raped a seven-year-old fatherless boy, before stoning him to death in Syria.
2 min read
15 September, 2022
The suspected perpetrator pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2015 [Getty]

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 .

"We condemn this barbaric behaviour and requested an investigation from the police and a public fair trial to hold him [the perpetrator] accountable."

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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.