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Government 'strips citizenship' from two more British women in refugee camps because they married Isis fighters

Sisters reported to have five young children between them

Zamira Rahim
Sunday 10 March 2019 10:51 EDT
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A woman stands at the Roj refugee camp in Hasakah, Syria
A woman stands at the Roj refugee camp in Hasakah, Syria (EPA)

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The UK government has stripped two sisters of their British citizenship after they married Isis fighters, it has been reported.

Reema and Zara Iqbal are believed to have five sons between them, all under the age of eight and are living in a Syrian refugee camp.

The decision to remove their citizenship came after they married into a terror cell which is linked to the murder of western hostages, according to The Sunday Times.

The women's parents are originally from Pakistan and it is possible the sisters would be eligible for Pakistani citizenship instead.

It is thought they travelled to Syria in 2013.

"Any decisions to deprive individuals of their citizenship are based on all available evidence and not taken lightly," a Home Office spokesperson said.

The Home Office added that it did not comment on individual cases.

Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, has faced criticism after stripping 19-year-old Shamima Begum of her citizenship.

Ms Begum, who married an Isis fighter after travelling to Syria at the age of 15, had publicly asked to return to the UK.

Debate raged over Ms Begum's desire to return after she resurfaced in a refugee camp last month as the self-styled caliphate collapsed.

She said she did not regret joining Isis, in an interview with The Times, but wanted to return to the UK so her third child could live.

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On Friday it was announced that Ms Begum's newborn son, Jarrah, had died.

Ms Begum and the Iqbal sisters are reportedly living in the Roj refugee camp.

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