Young schoolgirls as young as 14 or 15 years of age are reportedly leaving European and North American countries to join the Islamic State (ISIS) have been on a rise lately. Many of them reappeared in Syria and Iraq. Pictures of many young girls holding AK-47 are used for ISIS propaganda on the Internet. The trend is creating a concern among counter terrorism investigators.
Many girls expect to join the jihadi fighters and others have been reported to marry jihadists who are fighting in Syria and Iraq. Most of the recruiting taking place on social media. Women and girls account for about 10 percent of those who are leaving Europe, North America and Australia to join ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). France contributed the largest number of girls leaving the country to join jihadists followed by the United Kingdom. Many parents were unaware of their children association with jihadists and go on social media requesting them to come back. Many fly into Turkey and disappear from there into ISIS control areas through the porous border between Turkey and Syria. Many are believed to be in Raqqa, an eastern Syrian city believed to be under ISIS control.