ISIS Documents Set Out Rules for Sex Slaves, Beards

As ISIS retreats from villages surrounding Mosul, detailed evidence of the group's harsh rule is emerging. In documents discovered by Reuters in recently abandoned ISIS offices near the Iraqi city, the group sets out strict requirements for beard-growing, the proper way of praying—and the treatment of sex slaves. "Pre-pubescent girls can be taken as concubines. You cannot have penetrative sex but you can still enjoy them," states a leaflet that answers 32 questions on how to deal with female captives. The leaflet says "non-Muslim women can be taken as concubines," and a senior ISIS cleric has the authority to award female captives to the group's fighters.

The records found in the village of Shura also include a detailed log of who had given alms to the poor, and of what property individuals owned. ISIS propaganda found in the abandoned offices included a poster giving 20 reasons why satellite dishes were banned. Residents say that those who disobeyed ISIS rules were whipped or taken to Mosul to be killed. On Tuesday, Iraqi forces fought their way to the outskirts of Mosul for the first time and seized a state television building. Officials say that with the weather creating poor visibility for air support, including US drones, they plan to hold their positions today instead of trying to push further into the city, the Guardian reports. (More ISIS stories.)