Mar 8, 2018

Nearly 300 women ran through the streets of Iraq's Mosul on Thursday, in a demonstration of their freedoms eight months after the city was retaken from the Islamic State group.

Mosul's first ever women's marathon was held to coincide with International Women's Day.

The 900-metre run was not the len

gth of a full marathon, but organiser Fatima Khalaf said it marked a real change for women in the city, who faced harsh restrictions under the hardline rule of the jihadists.

The race aimed to "urge women and girls in the city to actively reclaim their rights," the 30-year-old said.