With images of violence and torture coming out of Syria daily , a U.N. panel on Friday stated what many people consider obvious : ISIS has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity , and leaders of the militant group should be held accountable by organizations such as the International Criminal Court . The U.N . Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria based its conclusions on more than 300 firsthand accounts and included photos and videos of violence and victims , a statement said . `` Those that fled consistently described being subjected to acts that ( terrorize ) and aim to silence the population , '' said Paulo Pinheiro , chairman of the commission . The commission issued a paper titled `` Rule of Terror : Living Under ISIS in Syria '' that described previously known ISIS tactics such as killing , enslavement , rape and sexual slavery . But the report provides details about other , less sensational abuses , such as the penalty for smoking or having tattoos . `` ISIS also carries out amputations and lashings in public spaces in its areas of control , '' the paper said . Men have had their hands amputated for allegedly committing theft . The group has also amputated the fingers of men caught smoking , according to the commission 's report . `` Men have been lashed for being in the company of women who ISIS considers to be 'improperly ' dressed , for smoking , not attending Friday prayers , trading during prayer times and for having tattoos . '' ISIS targets women and children . The acts of terror are not random occurrences but are part of the ISIS organizational policy , the paper said . That 's why commanders for ISIS , sometimes called the Islamic State , should be held accountable by groups such as the International Criminal Court , the paper said . ISIS aims to establish a ruling Islamic government in Syria and Iraq . Richard Dicker , director of the International Justice Program for Human Rights Watch , said the International Criminal Court could only become involved in Syria if the U.N. Security Council approves . A previous U.N. motion on Syria was thwarted by veto votes by China and Russia , he said . `` The ICC has no say-so , '' he said . `` The power lies in the hands of the U.N. Security Council . '' The commission 's report about war crimes is significant , however , because it focuses only on ISIS and not the other groups involved in the Syrian conflict , Dicker said . `` It reshapes the frame around ISIS 's actions , '' he said . ISIS is well-financed and draws fighters from many nations , including the United States and other Western countries . ISIS targets ethnic groups , journalists , women and children , the paper said . `` Unmarried women -- whom ISIS considers to be females over the age of puberty -- pose a particular threat to the armed group 's enforced social order , '' the paper said . `` Parents of unmarried women and girls are terrified of their daughters being forced to marry ISIS fighters and as a result , early marriage is on the rise . Their fears are not unfounded . `` There are distressing accounts of fighters taking girls as young as 13 years old away from their families , resulting in violations of international humanitarian law and acts that amount to war crimes of cruel treatment , sexual violence and rape . '' Education is used to indoctrinate children , the paper said . Propaganda and social media . In the Syrian city of Raqqah , `` children are gathered for screenings of videos depicting mass executions of government soldiers , ( desensitizing ) them to extreme violence . By using , conscripting and enlisting children for active combat roles , the group is perpetrating abuses and war crimes on a massive scale in a systematic and organized manner , '' the paper said . Children are also exposed to horrific sights , such as public executions , public mutilations and the display of bodies in town squares and other visible spots , it said . Besides terror , ISIS exerts control by taking journalists captive and regulating public services in areas it controls , the paper said . `` At the core of ISIS ' propaganda strategy is an effective use of modern communications , particularly social media for purposes of recruitment and fundraising , '' it said . `` Many new recruits , from the region and beyond , have been influenced by widely disseminated violent images of executions , beheadings and stonings . '' In other news from Syria , the United States-led coalition carried out 20 airstrikes , including 19 against ISIS and one against the al Qaeda-linked group , Khorasan , U.S. Central Command said Friday . The strikes happened between Wednesday and Friday and 17 of them destroyed ISIS positons and vehicles near Kobani . An airstrike east of the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa destroyed one of the militants training camp . The strike against several terror suspects associated with the Khorasan group took place west of Aleppo . Meanwhile the coalition also conducted 16 airstrikes in Iraq against ISIS , including two strikes west of Kirkuk , three near Baiji and one near Fallujah that destroyed a large ISIS unit , according to Central Command .
U.N. commission includes photos and videos of abuse , victims ' accounts . Panel says actions by ISIS amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity . Men have had fingers amputated for smoking , U.N. report says . ISIS leaders should be held accountable by an international court , paper says .