Family details horrific abuse at hands of female ISIS leader

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Family members of a Kansas native convicted of leading an all-female Islamic State group battalion say they suffered years of horrific abuse at her hands well before she ever became a terrorist. The allegations come in court filings in the case against 42-year-old Allison Fluke-Ekren. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to terrorism charges connected to her support for the Islamic State group while she and her family lived in Syria. Two of her now-adult children say in court papers that they were physically and sexually abused by her. Fluke-Ekren denies the abuse allegations. Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year maximum prison term when she’s sentenced next week.