The Washington Post reports today that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) publicized that it was selling captured Yazidi women and children  as “spoils of war.” Specifically, ISIS claimed that it sold Yazidi women to its fighters as concubines.

The women and children were divided among fighters according to Islamic law, the Islamic State magazine, called Dabiq, said.

“The enslaved Yazidi families are now sold by the Islamic State soldiers,” it continued. The article argued that although Christians and Jews can be offered the chance to pay a tax or convert, Yazidis, as polytheists, can be enslaved if captured during war.

It goes on to detail the argument for enslavement under its extremist interpretation of Islam, boasting that it’s the largest mass-enslavement since the early days of the religion.

The ISIS announcement confirms “widespread allegations of detention and sexual abuse against Yazidi women.”

Hundreds of Yazidi have been captured by ISIS since the terrorist group overran the Sinjar area in northern Iraq in August. Yazidi activists have been calling on the world to prevent the genocide of their people.

[Photo: Reuters / YouTube ]