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British women jihadists are running an ultra-religious police force for ISIS that punishes females for un-Islamic behaviour, it was reported today.

New evidence shows a number of British recruits to the al-Khansaa brigade – an all-women militia set up by IS that is operating in the city of Raqqa, IS’s base in Syria.

Security services believe US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff were both killed near Raqqa.

A key figure in the al-Khansaa brigade is thought to be Aqsa Mahmood, 20, from Glasgow, who fled to Syria last November.

(Image: YouTube)

It is also believed that she has been joined by Manchester twins Salma and Zahra Halane, 16, and Muslim convert Sally Jones, 45, from Chatham, Kent.

The women have been identified by academics at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, at King’s College London.

ICSR believes about 60 British women – the vast majority aged between 18 and 24 – have gone to Syria to fight. Dozens more have researched jihad in the past three weeks.

The surge is thought to have been sparked by reports of the beheading of Mr Foley and the release of a video of his execution. Mahmood is linked to the al-Khansaa brigade by her jihadist name Umm Layth.

According to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, a US-based monitoring group, al-Khansaa’s members are all single and dress in black robes. Brigade members are paid a monthly salary of £100.