A Dutch mother decided to ignore the warnings of her government and go undercover into the Syrian city of Raqqa to save her daughter, Aicha, from the Islamic State.
Aicha converted to Islam and married a Dutch jihadi, but started feeling disillusioned by her husband and his terror ties as time went by, the Telegraph reported.
“She wanted to go home,” the mother, identified only as Monique, told The Telegraph. “But [she] could not leave Raqqa without help.”
Netherland officials warned Monique to wait and not go to Syria, but she decided not to listen. She disguised herself with a black burka and wove her way through Turkey into Syria, ultimately meeting up with her daughter and helping her escape across the border.
“Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do,” she told the Telegraph.
Once they crossed back into Turkey, they were arrested because Aicha didn’t have a passport. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey is working to get them home, the Telegraph.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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