The Islamic State (IS) has recruited nearly 20,000 militants who flocked to Syria and Iraq from Arab and European countries, 550 of those are women, according to the New York-based security firm, The Soufan Group. Female fighters are welcomed in the IS as long as they support jihad (holy war), to attract militants to stay by 'anchoring' them with wives and children. IS had developed social media campaigns in English and French to attract young Western women to marry the group's militants. Female recruiters use Twitter accounts solely dedicated to jihadist matchmaking. Umm Layth (Aqsa Mahmoud), a British teenager who travelled to Syria, promises girls a wonderful life, confirming that all of their needs will be taken care of, using Twitter and her own blog [http://fa-tubalilghuraba.tumblr.com]. Authorities revealed that she is one of the most active recruiters of young British women among the Islamic State. Intelligence agencies are investigating possible links between her and the disappearance of three teenagers from London believed to have traveled to Syria to join IS. Intelligence services told the Daily Mail that "The girls, by now dressed in burkas, were bundled into cars and disappeared to a life where they will have to marry a fighter selected for them, never step foot outside without him, and become a household drone doing chores restricted to women. They may even be trained to become fighters themselves." "Female recruits are promised a wonderful husband and a free house with top-of-the-line appliances, such as a fridge, microwave and even a milkshake machine," The Huffington post reported. Young girls have been reportedly disappearing throughout Europe, North America and Australia, in response to calls to join the IS by women such as Umm Ubaydah and Umm Haritha. Early 2015, IS released a guide for the women of the 'Islamic State', targeting women residing in the Gulf countries, encouraging them to join the group, by stressing that they could make a better difference there than in their home countries.
The phenomenon of driven young women leaving home to join violent jihadist groups has become disturbingly familiar, and numbers are rapidly rising.
