Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of the agency, told reporters in Berlin
there had been a sharp increase in the number of young women under 25
leaving Germany to join the insurgents.
He said that about 100 of the 700 Germans in combat areas were women and about half of those women were under 25.
Similar trends showing more Western women joining Islamic
State than earlier radical Islamist movements have been reported from
other European countries with large Muslim minorities such as France and
Britain.
"We've seen a rise in the number of women who fall for the increased
appeal of the recruiting activities both on the Internet and through
direct personal contacts," Maassen said, adding the number of
sympathizers in Germany had grown to about 7,500. "The threat is
becoming increasingly complex."
He said that about 100 people from Germany who joined the
insurgents had been killed. He said there were indications that the
numbers of those killed had increased considerably since the start of
2015. About one-third of those who left Germany have returned and more
than 50 of those had combat experience.
Last September, Chancellor Angela Merkel had said about
400 Germans and hundreds of other Europeans had traveled to the region
to join the fight alongside Islamic State.
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