Kurdish forces have rescued a Swedish teenager from the Islamic State-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul.
Marlin Stivani Nivarlain, from Borås, Sweden, went missing from her home last year after "she was misled by an IS member in Sweden to travel to Syria and later to Mosul,” said the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) in a statement released Tuesday.
She was taken into custody by Kurdish forces on Feb. 17, according to the statement. They say their counter-terrorism forces rescued her in an area outside of Mosul. According to Swedish news outlet Sveriges Radio, the girl travelled to Mosul with her boyfriend last year and was pregnant at the time. The pair then decided that they wanted to leave ISIS, but were being held against their will.
Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTD) rescued a young Swedish National, Ms Marlin Stivani Nivarlain, from #ISIL near Mosul. pic.twitter.com/WRBM0tRK0Y— KR Security Council (@KRSCPress) February 23, 2016
Swedish authorities and members of Nivarlain's family had reportedly reached out to the Kurdish Security Council “to assist in locating and rescuing her from ISIL.”
Nivarlain is still in Iraqi Kurdistan, but local authorities said in her statement that she “will be transferred to Swedish authorities to return home once necessary arrangements are put place.”
She is 16 years old and was rescued on 17 February 2016. We were called upon by Swedish authorities and her family to help rescue her.— KR Security Council (@KRSCPress) February 23, 2016
Nivarlain is just one of a handful of young European women who have travelled into ISIS controlled territory to join members of the group. It is unclear if she faces charges upon her return to Sweden.
Another Swedish teen who was taken into custody in Vienna faced charges for her involvement with the group.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on the case.