ISIS Lashes Five Iraqis for Using Cellphones; Cuts Off Hands of 3 Women

The Islamic State reportedly chopped off the hands of three women for unknown charges and whipped five men for using cellphones in Mosul on Thursday, according to local media reports. 

The terror group, which declared a caliphate in its occupied territory in Iraq and Syria, often resorts to brutal punishments such as beheading and stoning for a range of crimes that may be as petty as smoking a cigarette, listening to music or consuming alcohol.  

"Today evening, the ISIS militants cut three women's hands off for unknown charges," a source told Iraqi News on Thursday. 

"They also whipped five people for using cellphones to contact their relatives while standing on the celebration stage in the Cultural Compound in central Mosul," he added. 

ISIS has reportedly banned the use of cellphones in the city and has threatened offenders with 30 lashes. It has also reportedly cut off cellphone networks in Mosul. 

The group also recently threatened people with execution by beheading if they are caught smoking cigarettes. 

The Islamic State had released a guide in December that listed various "offences and punishments" based on the principles of Sharia law, penalties for which ranged from mutilation to execution by crucifixion or stoning.