A court in the Iraqi capital on Sunday (February 18th) sentenced to death a Turkish woman and 11 other foreign widows to life in jail for belonging to the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), AFP reported.

The 12 women, 11 Turks and an Azeri, some of whom appeared in the dock nursing infants, were convicted despite their pleas that they had been duped or forced by their husbands to join them in Iraq.

The women, aged between 20 and 50, were all arrested in Mosul or Tal Afar, where their husbands were killed as Iraqi forces recaptured the northern cities.

The state-appointed defence lawyers argued that the women had all been duped into coming to Iraq and were not involved in any acts of violence.

But they were found guilty under Article 4 of Iraq's anti-terrorism law against "any person who commits, incites, plans, finances or assists in acts of terrorism" and for illegal entry into the country.

A judicial source said the sentencing of the women by a three-judge panel had followed weeks or even months of questioning.

They have one month to lodge an appeal.

A total of 509 foreign women are being held in Iraq, with 813 children, according to a security source.