ISIS forcing girls in eastern Syrian province to marry its fighters

Girls from a province in eastern Syria are being forced by extremists to marry ISIS militants or be put to death. Islamic State leaders in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province released a statement last week demanding that parents allow their young daughters to wed ISIS militants or face severe consequences. According to a report from AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA News), an activist belonging to the ‘Deir ez-Zor Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ campaign, said more than 30 forced child marriages have taken place within the span of a week and that the forced child marriage trend has sharply increased in ISIS-seized areas over the past few months. “The militant group has legalized those marriages through its court,” the activist added. ABNA’s source also reports that two fathers have already been executed for denying their daughters’ hands in marriage to ISIS militants. The ‘Deir ez-Zor Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ campaign has been active for almost two years, chronicling ISIS’ human rights violations in the area.