This is three image combo of stills taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police in London on Monday Feb. 23, 2015, Kadiza Sultana, 16, left, Shamima Begum,15, centre and and 15-year-old Amira Abase going through security at Gatwick airport, before they caught their flight to Turkey on Tuesday Feb 17, 2015. The three teenage girls left the country in a suspected bid to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State extremist group.(AP Photo) This is three image combo of stills taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police in London on Monday Feb. 23, 2015, Kadiza Sultana, 16, left, Shamima Begum,15, centre and and 15-year-old Amira Abase going through security at Gatwick airport, before they caught their flight to Turkey on Tuesday Feb 17, 2015. The three teenage girls left the country in a suspected bid to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State extremist group.(AP Photo)

One of the three British schoolgirls who left London in February 2015 to join the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria has died, her family lawyer told Reuters on Thursday. Attorney Tasnime Akunjee said the family of Kadiza Sultana learned of her death in Raqqa, Syria, a few weeks ago. She was believed to have been killed by a Russian air strike in Raqqa, ITV News reported earlier on Thursday.

Sultana was making plans to return to Britain and her family was communicating with her to discuss her possible escape from Raqqa, according to an interview published by ITV with Sultana’s sister, which includes recordings of purported phone calls between the sisters.

Kadiza Sultana, 16, along with two other friends, flew from London’s Gatwick Airport to Turkey on February 17, 2015. Sultana, Shamima Begum and a third girl, who was not named at her family’s request left their east London homes and flew to Istanbul. The British Home Office and British Interior Ministry could not be reached immediately for a comment.

Turkey is a key entry point for those seeking to travel to Syria. Earlier in 2015, Sultana’s family had said that they were feeling “completely distressed” at her departure.

According to the police the three girls, all of whom were academic high achievers had followed the example of a friend who fled to join IS jihadists in December 2014. British media reported that the girls had been interviewed by police about where their friend had gone but were not considered at risk of leaving Britain themselves. Counter-terrorism experts estimate that around 50 women have travelled from Britain to Syria to join the IS group.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App.