Report: 700 Syrians 'Beheaded, Crucified' By Islamic State

A recent report indicates 700 people of a native Syrian tribe were reportedly shot, beheaded, and crucified by the Islamic State back in August, marking the biggest Islamic State massacre on Syrian land in over a year.

According to The Washington Post, the villagers were members of the Shaitat tribe located in Abu Hamam in the Deir al-Zour province. The media outlet reports that although the massacre was rarely reported on by international news outlets, it is a clear example of how difficult it is for local people in Syria and Iraq to fight against Islamic State militants without aid.

As The Washington Post reports, many anti-Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq are calling out for more aid from the U.S. to fight the terrorist organization. "We saw what the Americans did to help the Yazidis and the Kurds. But they have done nothing to help the Sunnis against the Islamic State," Abu Salem, a member of the Shaitat tribe who survived the 700-person massacre, told the media outlet.

News of this massacre comes as international media outlets continue to report on fighting in the Syrian border town of Kobani. Locals have been battling with the Islamic State militants for power of the crucially-positioned town for over a month.

Turkey announced recently that it will be allowing Iraqi Kurdish forces to cross over its border to fight the Islamic State in Kobani. "Turkey has no wish to see Kobane fall," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told BBC News.

However, Kurdish officials are arguing that what fighters in Kobani really need are stronger weapons, not more manpower. Ismet Hesen, a senior Kurdish official working in Kobani, told BBC: "If any force would like to come to fight with us here, forces on the ground doing the fighting here should be consulted first."