Iraqi court sentences to death German woman who joined Islamic State

BAGHDAD, January 21

An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced to death a German woman of Moroccan origin for membership of Islamic State, a spokesman said.

The German national was captured by Iraqi forces during the battle for Mosul last year, the spokesman said, declining to identify her. She is the first foreign woman to be sentenced to death in Iraq for joining the militant group.

She can appeal the sentence, said Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad.

"She confessed that she travelled with her two daughters from Germany to Syria and then joined Daesh in Iraq," Birqdar said, referring to Islamic State by an Arabic acronym.

The woman was convicted of participating in attacks on Iraqi security forces and offering the militant group logistical support, said Birqdar.

A German foreign ministry spokeswoman declined to comment.

Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

A Russian Islamic State fighter was sentenced to death in Iraq last year for joining the hardline group.

Iraq declared victory last month over Islamic State, which had seized control of nearly a third of the country in 2014.

However, Islamic State continues to carry out bombings and other attacks in the country. Reuters