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Hundreds of foreign women who joined Isis captured by Kurdish forces in Syria

Approximately 800 women from multiple western countries detained

Saturday 10 February 2018 23:20 GMT
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A female Isis fighter featured in a propaganda video released on 7 February
A female Isis fighter featured in a propaganda video released on 7 February

Hundreds of foreign women who joined Isis have been captured by Kurdish forces in Syria, it has been reported.

Approximately 800 women from multiple western countries have been detained and are being kept at detention sites.

They have apparently complained they were “beaten and humiliated” during interrogations and have been forced to live in unhygienic conditions with their babies.

“About 800 Isis women with children are in four camps ... they come from around 40 countries. There are women from Canada, France, Great Britain, Tunisia, Yemen, Turkey and Australia,” Human Rights Watch’s terrorism and counterterrorism programme director, Nadim Houry, told Die Welt.

“These women are in a very difficult situation. For the little kids especially, the circumstances are by no means good.”

Mr Houry added that many of the women had said they hoped to return to their home countries, or at the very least, send their children back.

“The children have not committed any crimes, they are the victims of the war and often their radicalised parents,” Mr Houry said.

Kurdish authorities have said they do not wish to prosecute the women and would rather send them back to their home nations.

Several of these countries are opposing the move as they are currently dealing with thousands of returning jihadi fighters.

If a fair trial can be guaranteed the French government has called for any French jihadis who are detained in Syria and Iraq to be tried there.

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