IS stones to death two alleged gay men in Syria

Islamic State (IS) militants stoned to death two young men in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on charges of having "unlawful" sexual intercourse with other males, a monitoring group has reported.

The first man, 20-year-old, was stoned to death at the al-Bakara roundabout in the city of Mayadeen in Deir al-Zour and his execution was attended by crowds of civilians, including children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Tuesday.

It added that the man was arrested by the IS fighters earlier and a video of him having sex with another male was allegedly found stored in his cellphone.

Another young man, said SOHR, was also stoned to death at the al-Takya Street in the neighbourhood of Hamidyeh in Deir al-Zour on the same charges.

After the execution, the bodies of the two men were taken by the IS fighters without handing them over to their parents.

The IS applied the "stone to death" penalty for the first time Oct 21 this year in the city of Bukamal in Deir al-Zour on a man who was charged of committing adultery.

The extremist group has applied strict rules in areas under its control, banning smoking or drinking alcohol as well as prohibiting women from walking on streets without veils.