Previously, female members of Isis have been confined to support roles and kept away from the battlefield. The cell, organised by a known Isis militant in France, was the first to be entirely female. In August, Isis was reported to have deployed at least one female suicide bomber in Libya, while last month 10 alleged female attackers were arrested in Morocco. Palestinian groups have used women suicide attackers. Al-Qaida’s own affiliate in Iraq deployed a female suicide bomber in 2005 to attack a hotel in Amman, Jordan.​ The decision prompted much criticism within extremist circles.

Source: The Guardian November 12, 2016 21:58 UTC