Deputy Emir of Islamic Police Found Beheaded in Eastern Syria: Watchdog

A deputy leader of Islamic Police, al-Hesbah, has been found beheaded in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW, January 6 (Sputnik) – The deputy emir of al-Hesbah, which is believed to be the Islamic State's self-declared police force, was found beheaded in Mayadin, a city in eastern Syria's governorate of Deir Ezzor, the organization reported. The deputy emir was an Egyptian national. The corpse had a cigarette in his mouth and "O sheikh this is munkar [hateful and evil thing]" written on his body, the Observatory said.

Additionally, the unknown executioners also tried to kill two Islamic State fighters by running them over both by car and by motorcycle, according to the organization.

The Islamic State advocates a strict interpretation of sharia law and punishes those living in the territories under its control and occasionally even the group's own members for its violating the strict rules in place. In particular, the group has prohibited smoking in areas under its control.

The Islamic State is a radical Sunni group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It has taken control of vast areas in Syria and Iraq, proclaiming the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on the territories it has seized.