10 British women 'fighting Assad forces'

(MENAFN- Arab News) London: ten british women including two teenagers are thought to have left the uk to fight the regime of president bashar assad in syria.

shiraz maher head of outreach at the international center for the study of radicalization at kings college london told the daily mail: “around 10 british women are out there we believe and most have traveled to syria with their husbands.”

two teenagers from portsmouth a surrey woman two londoners and five others from cities across the north of england have reportedly joined the fighters in syria the daily reported.

maher warned that some of those heading to syria might end up with groups such as the islamic state of iraq and syria a faction disowned by al-qaeda that is hostile to forces seeking the ouster of assad.

maher told the newspaper: “they go believing they will fight jihad to overthrow assad but may actually be getting in the way of the rebellion by joining groups and fueling the infighting they are involved in.”

the news comes a day after britain’s metropolitan police issued an appeal to women to inform on male relatives with plans to join the fighting in the war-torn country reported al arabiya.

“most british jihadis go to syria for sincere reasons to help in what they believe is a struggle against oppression but many don’t appreciate the reality on the ground” he said.

at least 600 britons are believed to have gone to fight in syria since the uprising began in march 2011 20 of whom are believed to have been killed.