BAGHDAD: Iraqi police have arrested a woman who has confessed to recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers and who orchestrated dozens of attacks, a senior officer said on Tuesday.
Samira Jassim, 51, admitted that she had mentally prepared the women for martyrdom operations, passed them on to terrorists who provided explosives, and then took the bombers to their targets.
At least 36 female suicide bombers attempted or successfully carried out 32 suicide attacks last year, compared with eight in 2007, according to U.S. military figures.
"We arrested Samira Jassim, known as 'Um al-Mumenin', the mother of the believers, who was responsible for recruiting 80 women" suicide bombers, Major General Qassim Atta told reporters in Baghdad.
"She confessed her responsibility for these actions, and she confirmed that 28 attempts had been made in one of the terrorists' strongholds," Atta said, without giving further details.
Reporters were shown a video of Jassim's confession where, dressed in a traditional black abaya, she explained how she had prepared the women for martyrdom before sending them for terror training at insurgent bases.
"She sent them to the terrorists, in one of the farms where they provided the suicidal women with bombs, then Samira took the women to the targeted place," Atta said.
Two of the attacks for which Jassim admitted in the video confession took place in restive Diyala province, in central Iraq, which is considered one of the most dangerous areas of the country.
Al-Qaeda and various insurgent groups still manage to launch attacks in Diyala despite a general decrease in violence levels elsewhere.
Source: AFP