Islamic State has crushed a pocket of resistance to its control in eastern Syria, crucifying two people and executing 23 others in the past five days, a monitoring group said today. The insurgents, who are also making rapid advances in Iraq, are tightening their grip in Syria, of which they now control roughly a third, mostly rural areas in the north and east. Fighters from the al-Sheitaat tribe in eastern Deir al-Zor had tried to resist Islamic State's advance this month, according to residents near the area and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring organisation. Islamic State fighters crucified two Syrian tribesmen as they fled to a nearby village called Shaafa, while 23 others have been executed
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Islamic State tighten grip on Syria and are making rapid advances in Iraq
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The militants crucified two men for  'dealing with apostates' in Mayadin
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They beheaded two more for blasphemy in the nearby town of al-Bulel
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A further 19 men from the al-Sheitaat tribe were executed, 18 shot dead and one beheaded, on the outskirts of Deir al-Zor
Tribal sources say the conflict between @placeholder and the al-Sheitaat tribe, who number about 70,000, flared after Islamic State took over of two oil fields in July.