Shafaq News /Despite the defeat of ISIS and the killing of its most prominent leaders, many female fighters or wives of militants remain adhering to the extremist ideology of ISIS, as reflected in international reports warning of their gravity.
Recent reports indicate that women make up between 15 and 20 % of members of terrorist groups, and 20 % of the total foreign recruits among these groups.
A 2018 report by the International Center for the Study of Extremism and Political Violence also noted that 13 % of foreigners in ISIS are women.
ISIS formed al- Khansaa Brigade, which played a role in its areas of control, specifically in Syrian Raqqa.
Khansa women also played a key role in recruiting terrorist elements from Europe, and they were attractive to young people, as well as their role in torturing women who refused to join or obey the instructions of the terrorist organization.
In Egypt, the role of the sisters' (Al-Akawat) organization, which is affiliated with the terrorist organization, was initially limited to advocacy, fundraising, and participation in the front lines of the demonstrations. The order then evolved into the transfer of weapons and the delivery of orders for terrorist operations between members of the group inside and outside the prison, according to Egyptian reports.
Iran knew the establishment of the first women's militia a few months after the revolution of 1979, called the "Basij sisters," who are suppressing the activities of women accompanying the protest movements, from assault, arrest and break up sit-ins.
While al- Zeinabiyat are the Yemeni model reproduced from the Iranian experience and follow al-Houthi militias. They are tasked with pursuing and monitoring activists against al- Houthi militia, storming and searching houses, and carrying out espionage and media roles. More recently, their tasks have evolved to include hostilities, such as planting mines and improvised explosive devices.
Interestingly, the effectiveness of women in terrorist groups sometimes outweighs that of men, thanks to their ability to evade security checks and disclosure, as well as the community's immunity to women, putting women's militias as mobile time bombs.