ISIS beheads 7 men and 3 women in Syria

Islamic State militants beheaded seven men and three women in a northern Kurdish area of Syria, a human rights monitoring group, Syrian Observatory said on Wednesday. Five anti-Islamic State Kurdish fighters were among the victims. They were detained and beheaded on Tuesday 14km west of Kobani near the Turkish border.

Syrian Observatory said it was part a campaign to frighten residents resisting the advance of the militant group.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human, Rights Rami Abdulrahman, said a Kurdish male civilian was also beheaded. "I don't know why they were arrested or beheaded. Only the Islamic State knows why. They want to scare people," he said.

Reuters could not independently verify the information but it was clear that Islamic State fighters have carried out several beheadings of enemy fighters and civilians in Syria and Iraq.

The beheadings are often carried out in public and with a message that any violent or non-violent dissent with not be tolerated.

In fighting Sunni Muslim tribes in eastern Syria, Islamic State have used beheadings to scare local leaders to withdraw from the battlefield. Islamic State has also beheaded foreign journalists and an aid worker.