One in five extremist travellers is a woman

A federal report says women account for about one-fifth of extremists from Canada who head overseas.

The government’s latest public report on the terrorist threat to Canada says in some cases women have taken their children to conflict zones. The report issued Thursday says the participation of women in terrorist organizations is not new.

However, there has been an increase in the number of women who have travelled or attempted to travel abroad to join Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The report says it is often unclear what roles are performed by women who travel to join extremist groups.

It notes the most common assumption is women travel abroad to marry terrorists, but some may occupy secondary roles within extremist groups.