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

'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 alleged tortured, rape and murder of a seven-year-old orphan boy in the north-eastern Syrian city of Ras al-Ain, according to Syria-focused media outlets and monitoring groups.

The boy, Yassin al-Mahmoud, from Iraq was reportedly stoned to death.

The suspected perpetrator, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq Al-Salama, an alleged former IS member had arrived in the city 10 days ago, monitor Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) told The New Arab.

Local reports circulating suggested Al-Salama was a member of the opposition Syrian National Army, a Turkish-backed group that controls 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 The New Arab.

"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 a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prison in Deir az-Zor for five years, Syria TV reported, and had reached Ras al-Ain through smugglers.

They also confirmed that he does not belong to any military faction. The New Arab cannot independently verify the statement.

Ghany believes the alleged perpetrator was detained by the Kurdish-led SDF in 2015 and released in 2018.

He called for a "deep monitoring" of individuals released 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 civilians killed in regime bombing.