Islamist militants use sexual violence to control communities

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Sep 22, 2014

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Islamist militants use sexual violence to control communities

Last month, the United Nations estimated that the group forced some 1,500 women, teenage girls and boys into sexual slavery.

An Iraqi Shiite militiaman, a follower of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, jumps to break a placard with the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) during a parade, in the northern oil rich province of Kirkuk, Iraq, on Saturday.

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Last month, the United Nations estimated that the group forced some 1,500 women, teenage girls and boys into sexual slavery.

When President Barack Obama outlined his plan last week for fighting the so-called Islamic State group last week, he described that the terrorist group was responsible for many crimes including sexual violence.

"They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage," Obama said.

Last month, the United Nations estimated that the group forced some 1,500 women, teenage girls and boys into sexual slavery.

Former CIA intelligence analyst Nada Bakos explains that it's a disruptive force that helps these fighters gain control of a local community.