Three French women who joined the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) before being captured by Iraqi forces could be facing the death penalty as they await trial in Baghdad, sources close to their cases told AFP Tuesday (January 23rd).
The women were detained after Iraqi fighters ousted the extremists from Mosul last July, one source said.
One 28-year-old woman left in 2015 to join the group along with her husband, who has reportedly been killed.
She is being detained with her daughter, who was born after their arrival.
A second woman, a 27-year-old named as Melina, also left for the region in 2015, and is being held with her baby. Her three older children have been returned to France.
French Defence minister Florence Parly said Sunday that "we cannot be naive" regarding French citizens who left to join ISIS.
"When they are caught by local authorities, as far as possible they should be tried by these local authorities," she told France 3 television.
