ISIS in Libya have released pictures of armed fighters burning musical instruments as the extremist group continues its propaganda assault in the north African country.

Pictures of the heavily armed masked militants watching while a pile of drums burnt in the Libyan desert were released earlier today - purportedly by the 'media wing' of the local group.

It is understood the brightly coloured instruments had been confiscated by the religious police, and were destroyed near the port city of Derna, in eastern Libya.

'Unislamic': The group claims it burned the drums because it believes music is against their religion

Seized: A statement said the instruments were 'burnt in accordance with Islamic law'

A message released with the pictures explains: 'Hesbah seized these un-Islamic musical instruments in the state of Warqa (we call it the city of Derna).

It adds they were 'burnt in accordance with Islamic law'.

Whether or not it actually is has been a point of some debate in the Islamic world, but Libya's ISIS recruits are not the first to burn instruments.

Earlier this year, religious police were filmed beating musicians and destroying their instruments as punishment for playing an 'un-Islamic' keyboard.

The men were pictured being hit across the back and legs with a wooden stick in a public square in Syria after ISIS's fanatical Islamic enforcers ruled the electric keyboard was 'offensive to Muslims'.

Another picture shows two keyboards and what appears to be a lute smashed to pieces after raids thought to have taken place in Bujaq, a few miles to the east of Aleppo in Syria.

Brand new?: Some of the drums destined for the pyre appeared to never have been used before

Hidden: The ISIS militants were careful not to show their faces in any of the pictures

These latest pictures from Libya are the latest in an onslaught of 'propaganda' being released by the country's local branch of ISIS.

The group, and its march through Libya, was brought back into the spotlight with the release of a five minute video showing the murders of a group of Coptic Christians.

The men were beheaded by the extremists on the beach at Sirte, allowing them to film the blood running into the Mediterranean.

It has since released pictures showing a smart fleet of Toyota Land Cruisers carrying the notorious black flag of Islamic State as they drive in perfect unison through the streets of Libya.

Propaganda war: Libya's ISIS fighters came back into the spotlight when they beheaded 21 Egyptian men

Co-ordinated: The group followed it up with pictures purporting to be its own fleet of 4x4s

Land grab: ISIS now controls four major cities along the Libyan coast - including Derna, far right, where the pictures of fighters burning instruments were taken, and Serte, centre, where the beheadings took place

The extremist group has taken control of four major cities along Libyia's coast, joining forces with groups that formed after the fall of Gadafi.

Meanwhile, Libya's internationally recognised government has fled to Tubruq, near the Egyptian border, a two-and-a-half hour drive from where the instruments were supposedly burned.

It shares control of Tubruq and capital Tripoli with other rebel groups.

Libyan forces are working with an international coalition to try to rid the country of ISIS.



