Austrian teen girls who fled to Syria in order to fight alongside the Islamic State, are believed to be pregnant, according to reports.
The story of the two girls suddenly gained prominence on Tuesday when it was revealed that Sabina Selimovic and her friend Samra Kesinovic reportedly made claims on social media accounts that they were both alive and pregnant in Syria, a report by Austrian-based The Local claims.
This comes after rumours spread earlier this week, that the duo were dead in Syria, forcing the Austrian Interior Ministry to contact the family, raising concerns that their daughter could have been killed.
But the teens have since written to friends on WhatsApp, confirming that they are "alive" and "pregnant."
"Neither of us is dead," Selimovic reportedly wrote.
Who are the Girls?
Austrian media first reported in April that the two girls of Bosnian origin, 15-year-old Sabina Selimovic and 16-year-old Samra Kesinovic – had left for Syria telling their parents that their motive was to "fight for Islam".
The duo, previously seen in photos brandishing AK47s, is believed to have married a pair of Chechen fighters in Syria, according to various reports. Ever since they vanished earlier this year, they have been parading their involvement with ISIS on social media – ultimately making them the 'face of jihad' for Austrian media.
Interpol, with assistance from Austrian police, are trying to hunt down the teens as posts on their WhatsApp and Facebook accounts on Tuesday said they were alive and well. However, despite evidences otherwise, officials have pointed that ISIS men could be actually responsible for such outlandish statements. They have said the barbaric jihadists have complete control over the young girls' lives and said the men would actually never allow them to use social media.
"We have no independent confirmation that either of them are dead or alive, or that either of them are pregnant, although we suspect both are married," an Austrian police spokesman was quoted as saying by New York Post. "At the moment investigations are ongoing."
Last week, police apprehended two other schoolgirls, who were reportedly planning to travel to the Middle East to join the Islamic State militants, apparently after being influenced by the Austrian teens.
