Baghdad: An Iraqi court has sentenced to death a wife of slain Daesh group leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi on charges of detaining Yazidi women, the judiciary said on Wednesday.
The wife of the polygamous Baghdadi was brought back to Iraq after being detained in Turkiye, judicial sources told AFP under cover of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
“The Karkh (west Baghdad) criminal court sentenced to death the wife of the terrorist Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi for the crime of working with the Daesh terrorist group and detaining Yazidi women in her house,” the Supreme Judicial Council said on its website, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
The slain leader’s wife detained the Yazidis who “were later kidnapped” by Daesh fighters in the Sinjar district of northern Iraq, it added.
A judicial source identified her as Asma Mohammed.
Washington announced in October 2019 that US troops had killed Baghdadi in an operation in northwestern Syria, five years after he proclaimed a “caliphate” across swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq.
During their lightning advance through northern Iraq in 2014, the Islamist extremists of IS singled out the non-Muslim Yazidis, systematically killing thousands of men and forcing women into sexual slavery.
Over several years, Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death sentences as well as life prison terms under the penal code for membership in “a terrorist group.”
Among those convicted in Iraq were more than 500 foreign men and women found guilty of joining Daesh.
Iraq announced in February it had secured “the repatriation of the family” of Baghdadi, with a judicial source telling AFP that Baghdadi’s wife, “detained in Turkiye,” had been returned along with her children.
The announcement coincided with a broadcast of an interview with “Baghdadi’s wife” by Saudi-owned pan-Arab TV channel Al Arabiya. It named her as Asma Mohammed.
In November 2019, Turkiye said it had arrested a wife of Baghdadi, whom Turkish media identified as Asma Fawzi Mohammed Al-Qubaysi, in June 2018.
US-backed forces defeated IS in Iraq in 2017, and in Syria two years later. But remnants of the group continue to attack civilians and security personnel in both countries.
Iraq court condemns to death Daesh leader widow: judiciary
https://arab.news/j4s7z
Iraq court condemns to death Daesh leader widow: judiciary
- The wife of the polygamous Baghdadi was brought back to Iraq after being detained in Turkiye
- slain leader’s wife detained the Yazidis who “were later kidnapped” by Daesh fighters in the Sinjar district of northern Iraq
GCC states ‘face reliance on Saudi Arabia for food imports’
- With 70 percent of food coming through Strait of Hormuz, analysts warn of inevitable shortages
DUBAI: Some Gulf states may have to rely on overland food deliveries from Saudi Arabia if the US-Israel-Iran war continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and restrict regional airspace, analysts warned on Thursday.
The region is up to 90 percent dependent on food imports, and price surges and scarcity of some goods are expected.
“With over 70 percent of GCC foodstuffs being imported through the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf states face shortages if the war persists,” said Neil Quilliam of the Chatham House think tank.
“While GCC countries have taken steps to diversify suppliers and ensure sufficient stores to withstand disruption, this can only last several months. At this point, price increases and longer lead times will start to hit the markets.”
Commodities analyst Ishan Bhanu said: “The biggest immediate effect will be due to the blockade of Jebel Ali in Dubai, serving about 50 million people. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq effectively become landlocked and will depend on overland routes through Saudi Arabia.”
Bottlenecks are yet to show and the UAE has said its strategic reserves of vital goods cover four to six months of needs. It urged residents to report unjustified price increases through a dedicated hotline.
Supermarket staff throughout the Gulf said shelves remain largely stocked, though suppliers are taking longer to replenish certain products. Iran’s strikes on the Gulf since Saturday prompted panic buying in supermarkets, a dry run for what could come.
“Perception of risk matters, and even if stocks are sufficient now, public runs on supermarkets can spook the public,” Quilliam said.
