Experts have warned of the growing threat of women and minors linked to Islamic State, suggesting that the number returning to Britain from Syria and Iraq has been significantly underestimated.
According to a new report from King’s College London, a combination of an absence of government data and a changing view within Isis of when women should take up arms means that the danger they pose is likely to be much greater than official figures suggest.
“The narratives within IS itself related to women’s roles in combat have also evolved, broadening the circumstances under which women may be asked to take up arms. We have also seen women active in IS-linked plots (directed or inspired by the group) in countries such as France, Morocco, Kenya, Indonesia and the US, suggesting that women are indeed important to consider as potential threats.”, said ICSR researchers Joana Cook and Gina Vale.
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Researchers said while Isis frequently brought to mind “images of masked men waving the black flag of IS, fighting on the battlefield, or in more brutal scenes carrying out theatrically staged executions”, it was the assistance of those with specialised skills including judges, doctors and engineers, and the presence and support of women and minors, that helped legitimise its vision.
Women played a variety of roles that went beyond those of “jihadi brides”. They were active in recruiting other women, disseminating propaganda and fundraising for the caliphate. In Canada, a female recruiter based in Edmonton who offered an online Qur’an course reportedly radicalised at least one young woman and facilitated travel for her to Syria. In Ceuta, Spain, two friends led a ring that recruited other women for Isis in Iraq and Syria before travelling themselves.
In February this year, Isis produced and released a video of a woman appearing in combat on the battlefield for the first time alongside male soldiers – reflecting a trend largely unique to the terrorist group.
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