Pregnant American teenager forced into Isis-held Syria by father who married her off to militant
The 15-year-old girl, who has lived in Syria for five years, hopes to reunite with her mother.
A pregnant 15-year-old American teenager says she was forced into Isis-held territory by her radicalised father, who married her off to a militant. The girl told a CBS News reporter that she has been living in Syria for years and is six months pregnant.
"I'm from Kansas. I've been in Syria for five years," she said. The girl was part of a group of women fleeing Isis territory. CBS News reported the girl had been brought to Syria by her father, who was a strong Isis supporter.
"My father, of course, didn't tell us that we were coming to Syria," she said. "When it was time to get out of the car, and cross the border, he was like 'you're going to Syria,' and, yeah, it was a really big shock."
The girl told CBS News her father was later killed, forcing her to fend for herself. A devout Muslim, the girl said she hated Isis.
"We were prisoners. We were just quiet. Shut up, sit down you're in the house, you have nothing to say," she said. "Be glad your head isn't chopped off."
Despite her young age, it is clear she has seen more horror than many see in a lifetime. "When you walk outside there's intestines on the street. There's a head cut off from the shrapnel. There's a leg," she said.
She believes her mother is still in the US and is pleading with her to reach out. The girl told reporters she misses the comforts of home, including a restaurant called Texas Roadhouse.
Her Syrian Isis fighter husband was recently killed by a strike, she said, leaving her six months pregnant with his child. "I still have hope to go to school, hope to be a normal person, hope to be a mother to my child," she said.
A new report by Sky News reveals Isis militants have been largely pushed out of their self-described capital of Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters said it has regain control of 90% of the city, with less than 400 Isis fighters remaining.
"We are looking at approximately 4,000 civilians who remain in Raqqa, and a matter of 300-400 remaining Isis fighters," coalition spokesman US Colonel Ryan S Dillon told reporters in Baghdad. SDF entered Raqqa in June and have been fighting to gain control of the city from the terrorist group.