ISIS Cuts Off 3 Women's Hands; Brutally Whips 5 Men for Using Cell Phones to Call Their Families
The Islamic State terrorist organization has chopped off the hands of three women and whipped five men who were caught using their cellphones in the Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, a witness has claimed.
An unnamed source informed IraqiNews.com last Thursday that ISIS militants in Iraq's second-largest city have cut off the hands of three women, although the charges against the women remain unannounced.
The source also informed the news agency that the militant organization also whipped five men after they were caught using their cell phones to talk to their families.
"[T]he ISIS militants cut three women's hands off for unknown charges," the man claimed. "They also whipped five people for using cell phones to contact their relatives while standing on the celebration stage in the Cultural Compound in central Mosul."
The ISIS militants also issued a warning to citizens informing them that cell phone use is against ISIS' law.
"ISIS told the people of Mosul that it would whip anyone 30 times if they were caught using cell phones," the source added.
According to the International Business Times, later reports have suggested that the women's hands were amputated as punishment for using mobile phones. However, hand amputation is a common Islamic punishment for stealing.
In December, ISIS issued an order stating that all Apple devices were banned from each of its provinces, out of fear that the American technology could be used by U.S. security agents to coordinate airstrike attacks against the caliphate. In the order, all GPS-enabled devices were also banned.
"[I]n order to shut one of the doors of penetration the enemy uses to attain its goals and strike with exactness by means of its war and remote-guided aircraft, it has been decided to forbid the use of any electronic device or a system that has access to service to enable precise location of positions," the ISIS statement declared.
In November, ISIS cut the cell phone networks in Mosul. The next month, ISIS cut all the phone lines in Mosul and put the city on lockdown, banning citizens from leaving the city.
A resident told The Daily Mail that ISIS cut the phone lines out of fear that residents were phoning in the militants' locations to government forces.
ISIS' alleged 30-whipping punishment for cell phone use is yet another in the long list of cruel ISIS punishments.
In late January, 13 teenage boys were executed for watching the Iraq vs. Jordan Asia Cup soccer match, which ISIS claims is a violation of Shariah law.
Also in late January, two men were thrown off the roof of a multi-level tower in Mosul for committing homosexual acts.
ISIS has also instituted strict punishments for smoking and drinking alcohol. One resident in Raqqa told Al Monitor that an ISIS militant broke his fingers by bending them back and forth using a pair of pliers because he was caught smoking.