Iran jails 16 women for joining the Islamic State in Syria
Iran jails 16 women for joining the Islamic State in Syria
Tens of thousands of foreign fighters joined the extremist group after it seized vast swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014.
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Tens of thousands of foreign fighters have joined IS. [Getty]
Iran has jailed sixteen women who went to Syria to join the Islamic State group, a Tehran prosecutor said on Sunday.
"These women had gone to Syria to support ... Daesh (Islamic State), had received terrorist training and carried out some operations there, and were arrested upon their return to Iran," the judiciary's news website Mizanonline quoted prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi as saying.
The women were also ordered to pay back any money they had received from extremist group, the judiciary's news website added.
The report did not specify the length of the jail terms. Islamic State considers Iran's majority Shia Muslims to be heretics.
Tens of thousands of foreign fighters joined the extremist group after it seized vast swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014.
Iran has played a lead role in the Syria war, helping back Bashar al-Assad's forces against rebels, channelling in militia fighters and Revolutionary Guard officers.More In News
