A US jihadist who has held the rare position of leader of a female battalion within the Islamic State (IS) group was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Alexandria near Washington on Tuesday.
Allison FlukeEkren, a 42yearold mother, pleaded guilty in June to “materially supporting a terrorist organization” and admitted to providing military training to more than 100 women in Syria.
The woman said she led the “Khatiba Nusaybah,” a battalion in which about 100 women and girls some as young as 10 learned how to use automatic weapons, detonate grenades and use suicide belts.
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One of Allison FlukeEkren’s daughters is said to have received such an education. FlukeEkren’s daughter and eldest son urged the judge to give the maximum sentence. They claimed to have been physically and sexually abused by their mother and described the abuse in detail in letters to the court. The woman denied the abuse.
Born in the United States, FlukeEkren has risen to a senior level in Daesh, making her history unique among terrorism cases.
Allison FlukeEkren only asked for a twoyear sentence so she could raise her young children. He said at the beginning of a lengthy speech that he takes responsibility for his actions but spends most of his time rationalizing his behavior.