Western Teenage Girls Flee to Join ISIS

An increasing number of Western teenage girls have fled their homes and headed to the Middle East to join Islamic State (ISIS) fighters as they get caught up with the emotional outreach employed by the terrorists on social media, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

"They’re also looking for excitement. They’re looking for adventure. They’re looking for social acceptance," former FBI assistant director Steven Pomerantz told the Beacon of the Islamic State allure.

"They see, they hear, they hear the message, they hear the appeal, and they are susceptible to it," Pomeranz described of the recruitment's effectiveness. "So, again, it’s a variety. There are magazines, there are online websites that they can go to."

As many as 50 young girls have upset their families by taking off to join the Islamic State, according to British government figures, the Beacon noted.

Such a surge was outlined in a recent report by CBS News, the Beacon noted. The network interviewed angry and upset families including one whose daughter had fled and could be attempting to marry the militant fighters. Such girls are targeted and easy prey, experts noted. Some families have launched public appeals for their returns.

According to media reports, Islamic State fighters include all-female brigades. CNN charted the story of one woman, 25, who was a former school teacher who had joined up and fled, and was now in hiding, fearing for her life.

She joined after meeting a man online, but said after seeing all of the violence employed by the Islamic State firsthand, it was a bad decision.

"My problem was I ran away to something uglier," the woman told CNN, noting she witnessed a crucifixion of a teen boy and a beheading.

"At the start, I was happy with my job. I felt that I had authority in the streets. But then I started to get scared, scared of my situation. I even started to be afraid of myself," the former Islamic State fighter told CNN as she reconsidered her plight.

She added of her turnaround: "I am not like this. I have a degree in education. I shouldn't be like this. What happened to me? What happened in my mind that brought me here?"

Americans have not been immune to the ISIS allure. In September, a Colorado woman pleaded guilty to charges of trying to join the group, the New York Post noted.

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