Two of the three British schoolgirls who ran away from their homes to travel to Syria in February have reportedly informed their parents in Britain that they have already married jihadists chosen for them by the Islamic State, decreasing the chances that they will return to their respective families.
The girls—Shamima Begum, age 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, all of whom are top students at Bethnal Green Academy in East London—fled to the war-torn country after secretly saving enough money to buy tickets to Istanbul, The Huffington Post wrote.
Once there, they managed to avoid Turkish intelligence services and crossed the border to Syria, where two of the girls have been confirmed by their families to have married ISIS men and are now considered as "jihadi brides."
The two girls, whose names are kept confidential, reportedly told their families over the phone and on social media that they have selected their 20-something spouses from a list of candidates.
The girls' parents have been publicly begging their daughters to come home.
"It has caused a lot of distress. It entrenches their lives in Syria, rather than in Britain," said a lawyer who represents the families.
"It erodes significantly hopes that they will come back," he added.
A counter-terrorism researcher said the latest development in the case of the missing girls makes it harder for them to go back.
"Leaving ISIL territory remains 10 times more difficult for females," said the researcher.
In what ISIS claimed as their caliphate, women cannot leave the house without being escorted by a male guardian. Travelling without proper documentation would put them in a great risk.
In February, Commander Richard Walton, of Scotland Yard's counter terrorism unit, expressed concern about the exodus of girls and young women to ISIS territory, according to The Telegraph.
"We are concerned about the numbers of girls and young women who have or are intending to travel to the part of Syria that is controlled by the terrorist group calling themselves Islamic State," he said.
"It is an extremely dangerous place and we have seen reports of what life is like for them and how restricted their lives become. It is not uncommon for girls or women to be prevented from being allowed out of their houses or if allowed out, only when accompanied by a guardian.
"The choice of returning home from Syria is often taken away from those under the control of Islamic State, leaving their families in the UK devastated and with very few options to secure their safe return.
