Chilling

Iraq’s Suicide Matriarch

Samira Ahmed Jassim recruited more than 80 female martyrs.

Who’s the latest unsavory to be picked up in Iraq? Samira Ahmed Jassim, whose nickname Umm al-Mumineen means "mother of believers." The Iraqi army arrested her up for allegedly recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers and planning 28 bombings in different areas, The Guardian reports. During a press conference, Jassim described how she persuaded women to carry out suicide missions, escorted them to an orchard for insurgent training, and led them to their targets. In the video, Jassim said it took her two weeks to recruit one teacher who had familial and marital problems. Despite the overall decline in violence in Iraq, the number of suicide bomb attacks has risen sharply in the last year—at least 36 female suicide bombers carried out 32 attacks last year, compared with eight in 2007.