ISIS is losing its war against the government of Iraq, and that’s becoming more and more obvious every day. The Islamic extremist group has resorted to extremely desperate measures, including enlisting its female members to blow up themselves and their own babies.

A female suicide bomber was able to get close to Iraqi soldiers because decency laws keep them from checking women for explosives, but thankfully the bomb only killed the terrorist and one other victim. Unfortunately, that other victim was the young child she was carrying.

This is a really horrific sight. The woman, carrying what is being reported as her baby, tried to trigger the explosive when she was right next to a group of soldiers. There was a delay, however, making her and the child the only casualties.

Not only did this woman injure two soldiers and several civilians, but she murdered an innocent child who trusted her implicitly. She used her own baby as a distraction in the most cowardice way possible, and then ended both their lives.

Female suicide bombers are rare, perhaps in part because they aren’t promised 72 virgins in heaven (or because that offer doesn’t appeal to them as much), and those with children are almost never seen. As ISIS loses ground in Iraq, however, these types of attacks are becoming increasingly common.

Iraqi Lieutenant General Sami al-Arid explained why ISIS uses the so-called “jihadist brides” to carry out certain attacks.

“The women are fighting with their children right beside them… It’s making us hesitant to use air strikes, to advance. If it weren’t for this we could be finished in just a few hours.”

A reporter for Iraqi state TV echoed the general’s sentiments, saying it’s “a matter of hours” before the government officially announces its victory.

“We are seeing now the last metres and then final victory will be announced,” she said Saturday.

The effects of female suicide bombers have been often overlooked, in large part due to their rarity. But that’s all changing now. There have been more than 20 jihadist brides who have detonated explosives in the last two weeks alone, according to the Telegraph.

The jihadists have used everything in their arsenal to fend off the troops in the final throes of the nine month-long offensive. Isil’s use of female suicide bombers in battle, while not new, is exceedingly rare and demonstrates the group’s desperation.

While this type of behavior may signify ISIS is in decline, it is certainly not welcome news for these children who are getting caught in the middle of an ideological war they couldn’t possibly understand. It’s also important to note that ISIS is actually thriving in other regions, despite their failures in Iraq. We still have a lot of work to do, and I say we start with preventing the deaths of babies who happen to be born to parents who are violent extremists.