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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         One of three London schoolgirls who fled to Syria to join Islamic State has reportedly been killed in an airstrike, raising fears for her two classmates - whose fate remains unknown.

Kadiza Sultana, 17, is believed to have died several weeks ago in Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa, her family's solicitor has told Sky News.

Back in 2015 she fled Bethnal Green in east London with two other girls, Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both then 15.

They are among an estimated 800 Britons who have left the UK to join IS or other militant groups in Syria and Iraq. 

Journey from London to Syria taken by British schoolgirls

 

Video: Girls' Journey From London To Syria

:: What's Luring Western Women To Join IS?

The trio's journey from London to Turkey was tracked on CCTV after they went missing - telling their family they were going out for the day.

They were recorded at Gatwick airport and then at an Istanbul bus station. From there the trail goes cold, but they are understood to have caught a bus to the border to be smuggled into Syria. 

Kadiza Sultana is thought to have married a man fighting for IS

Kadiza Sultana is thought to have married a man fighting for IS

Social media chat between at least one of the three and an IS recruiter prior to leaving the UK was tracked by authorities, as were subsequent communications between Kadiza Sultana and her family. 

Shamima Begum is understood to have been in communication with Aqsa Mahmood, who left Glasgow for Syria to be a so-called jihadi bride in 2013.

Dr Erin Saltman, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, says IS recruiters use tailored grooming strategies on social media to appeal to vulnerable young women abroad. 

Amira Abase, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, at Gatwick

Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana, and Shamima Begum on CCTV at Gatwick

She told Sky News: "Women have very specific propaganda aimed at them by Islamic State.

"There is propaganda tailored to females, especially young females, which includes the discussion that they will be married upon arrival, which gives romantic notions about finding a husband once they get there."

A senior female IS commander who defected and claims to have been the first person to contact any foreign girls crossing the border spoke to Sky News earlier this year.

ISLAMIC STATE DEFECTOR UM ASMAH

 

Video: May: IS Girls Will 'Never Leave'

The 22-year-old, who called herself Um Asmah, said it was clear that while the Bethnal Green girls were happy, they were unprepared for living life permanently veiled.

One of the girls apparently revealed her face to a driver and was immediately reprimanded and lectured on etiquette.

All three girls are understood to have become "jihadi brides".

Kadiza Sultana's husband is understood to have been a US national of Somali origin who died late last year.

Recorded conversations between the 17-year-old and her siblings revealed she had become disillusioned with her life in Syria and wanted to escape.

But she was too scared after discovering an Austrian IS recruit had been publicly beaten to death after trying to run away.

In one phone call recorded between the teenager and her sister, Halima Khanom, Ms Sultana said: "I don't have a good feeling. I feel scared ...

"You know the borders are closed right now, so how am I going to get out?"

Her sister asked how confident she was of escaping and she replied: "Zero."

While there is no evidence the lives of Shamima Begum and Amira Abase are in imminent danger, former IS commander Um Asmah told Sky News they would "never" be allowed to return home. 

They are more likely to "die in Iraq or Syria," she said.


 

Source:bbc.com