Shamima Begum's baby son dies in Syria
The baby son of Shamima Begum - who
fled London to join the Islamic State group - has died, Tasnime Akunjee, the
Begum family’s lawyer, told The Guardian citing what he described as “strong
but unconfirmed reports” that the baby had died and after several hours of
conflicting reports, the Syrian Defense Forces, a Kurdish-led alliance,
eventually confirmed his death.
Ms Begum was stripped of her British
citizenship last month. The group, which runs the camp where the teenager has
been living, confirmed the death on Friday.
The baby died of pneumonia,
according to a medical certificate. He was less than three weeks old. Ms Begum
left the UK in 2015 with two friends and was found in a Syrian refugee camp in
mid-February. She wanted to return to Britain but was stripped of her
citizenship.
Her husband, a Dutch IS fighter
called Yago Riedijk, is being held at a nearby prison and has been informed of
the baby's death.
