Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, chief of the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group, has reportedly appointed a female Saudi to head up a new battalion in northeastern Syria, according to a report by Al Arabiya News.
Nada al-Qahtani, who joined the terror group in 2013 and used to lead the Khansa battalion in ISIS’s de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria, will now command a new branch of all-female fighting in the Hasakeh unit.
The development is surprising given the horrific abuse of women committed by ISIS terrorists, which has included countless cases of mass rape and turning captive women into sex slaves.
Qahtani, who reportedly has a strong character, met twice with Baghadadi and other ISIS leaders and will “play a prominent role on the level of communicating with foreign fighters,” said the report.
In a Twitter post, the female terrorist revealed her intentions to become a suicide bomber, pledged an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdad, and called on women to encourage their husbands and sons to join ISIS.