Mosul's first ever women's marathon was held to coincide with International Women's Day. The race aimed to "urge women and girls in the city to actively reclaim their rights," the 30-year-old said. Women lined either side of the street during the marathon, waving placards drawing attention to the harsh realities Iraqi women have faced. The jihadists of IS seized control of Mosul in mid-2014, making it the de facto Iraqi capital of their "caliphate". In Mosul and its surrounding province, jihadists raped, kidnapped and enslaved thousands of women and adolescent girls, especially those of the Yazidi ethnic minority.

Source: New Strait Times March 08, 2018 16:41 UTC