Jihadi runaway bride gives birth in Syria

LONDON: A runaway teenager who has divided British opinion after joining the Islamic State group in Syria but now wants to return home, has given birth, her family said on Sunday.

Shamima Begum, whose fate has prompted British soul-searching since she and two friends stirred controversy by fleeing to the terror network in 2015, gave birth to a boy, according to family lawyer Mohammed Akunjee. "We, the family of Shamima Begum, have been informed that Shamima has given birth to her child," a statement on Twitter said.

"We understand that both are in good health. "As yet we have not had direct contact with Shamima, we are hoping to establish communications with her soon so that we can verify the above." Akunjee said the family had learned about the birth from a translator in an eastern Syria refugee camp.