US woman who joined Islamic State sentenced to 20 years for terrorism 

A 42-year-old US woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to committing acts of terrorism on behalf of the Islamic State (IS).

In addition to terrorist acts committed in Iraq, Syria and Libya over an eight-year period, Allison Fluke-Ekren, originally from Kansas, admitted to providing military training to more than 100 women and girls, some of whom were as young as 10. 

According to court documents and public records obtained by the BBC, the former teacher became a Muslim extremist in the early 2000s and moved to the Middle East with her second husband, a now-deceased member of the Libyan militant group Ansar Al-Sharia and IS. 

Fluke-Ekren was smuggled into Syria in or around 2012, became an active member of IS, and rose quickly up the ranks to become the leader and organiser of the all-female battalion known as Khatiba Nusayba. 

It is believed that her primary duty was to provide women and girls with military training, including in the use of AK-47s, grenades and suicide belts. 

During her time in Syria, she is alleged to have sexually abused multiple children, including her own, a charge she vehemently denies.

Ahead of sentencing, Fluke-Ekren’s defence team asked for a shorter sentence than the maximum 20 years, arguing that she was traumatised by her experiences in Syria. 

The plea was rejected by the court, with First Assistant US Attorney Raj Parekh saying that Fluke-Ekren had, with her actions, ‘carved a path of terror’ and ‘brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill’. 

 [Photo: Alexandria Sheriff’s Office via AP Photo]