ISIS militants order FGM for Iraqi women and girls in Mosul

The 'fatwa' issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham would potentially affect 4 million women and girls

ISIS militants have ordered the women of the Iraqi city of mosul to undergo FGM
ISIS militants have ordered the women of the Iraqi city of mosul to undergo FGM

Militants have ordered all girls and women in and around Iraq's northern city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation, the United Nations said today.

The "fatwa" issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) would potentially affect 4 million women and girls, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, told reporters in Geneva by videolink from Irbil.

"This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed," she said.

"This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists," she added.