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10-year-old Iraqi girl dies after being punished by ISIS with torture device

Veiled women walk past a billboard that carries a verse from Koran urging women to wear a hijab in the northern province of Raqqa March 31, 2014. | Reuters/Stringer

A 10-year-old Iraqi girl in Mosul bled to death after the Islamic State used a medieval torture device to punish her for stepping outside of her house alone.

The punishment was inflicted by the Al-Khansa Brigade, an all-female jihadi group who serve as religious police for other women. They are responsible for enforcing the terror group's stringent rules, including the prohibition on breastfeeding outside, not wearing socks or wearing high heels.

According to the Daily Mail, the 10-year-old girl, identified as Faten, was punished after she stepped over the threshold of her house alone while she was cleaning. Under the rules imposed by ISIS, women are forbidden from leaving home unaccompanied by male members of the family.

Reports have stated that the Al-Khansa brigade asked the mother to choose whether she or her daughter would endure the punishment of being bitten.

Believing that the bite would be administered by a person, the mother chose her daughter to face the punishment.

A female witness who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the al-Khansa brigade produced a metal biting device, with poison on the teeth. The poison did not have enough time to take effect as Faten bled to death from her wounds.

The witness also shared the story of a woman who was punished by the Hisbah (morality police) for simply lifting up her veil to check a merchandise at the market. The woman was lashed 30 times on the spot, and she died a few hours later from her injuries.

The female witness said that she tried not to leave the house for two years because she feels dizzy every time she puts on the veil.

"I never felt like I was a human being. Why all of this black clothing?" said the witness. "It's like I'm getting into a bag and it's closed on me so I can't even breathe or enjoy the sun," she added.

She stated that she avoids wearing veils that would show the eyes because that is how the members of the Hisbah would estimate the age of the girl.

"If she's young she is more likely to be targeted for abuse. For this reason, I prefer to cover myself totally," she said.