Islamist fighters in Syria took their barbarism to the next level with the publication of graphic photographs of two men said to have been executed and then crucified.

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) announced it had executed seven prisoners in its bastion in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, two of them by crucifixion.

ISIL, which has been disavowed even by Al-Qaeda, said it held the seven responsible for a grenade attack on one of its fighters earlier this month in the Euphrates Valley city of Raqa, which it rules with an iron fist.

The Christian Assyrians of the Raqa region speak of torture, public executions and vanishings.

Not only is ISIL butchering its opponents, it is also beginning to take over schools, in areas under its control.

“Some public schools opened their doors under the direct supervision or management of ISIL, and they use ISIL curricula, such as the Islamic School for Outstanding Students, whose students are selected from among the children of mujahideen, muhajireen and supporters, and whose staff of teachers and administrators are known for their full and complete adherence to religion,” he said.

“ISIL did not stop at taking control of school administrations,” he said. “It also conducts near-daily surprise inspections at schools, in particular at girls’ schools, in which women-staffed inspection teams enter school campuses to ensure the girls are dressed in Islamic clothing.”

There are fears in the wider region that ISIL could spread its influence further and wider. Turkey, for example, fears ISIL could launch cross-border military action. ISIL has already made threats in that direction.

For now ISIL is also waging a war against more ‘moderate’ jihadi groups such as the Nusra Front, but Israel is also watching the group closely, fearing it may also be a target. There have already been unreliable reports in fringe media outlets that ISIL has been behind at least one attack against Israel on the Golan.

[Photo: Screenshot from ISIL video]