Daesh names female British doctor new boss of health care

Daesh has made a British female doctor of Sudanese origin the head of its regional health in Iraq following the death of the previous head during an airstrike in Hawijia, west of Kirkuk.

Iraqi sources claimed that the British doctor was named chief of the health department in the southwest part of Kirkuk. She is the first female to take on a senior role within the group.

“IS [Daesh] selected a British female doctor from Sudanese origin, who arrived to Nineveh via Syria two years ago, to head the group’s health department after the group’s health minister was killed in an airstrike in Hawija,” said a military source quoted by Iraqi News. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday added that “the doctor was one of eight doctors who fled London to join IS.”

The region has been under Daesh control since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim their state in Iraq and Syria. Following their takeover of the towns and villages in the region, dozens of residents from Hawija and the neighbouring areas began to flee to Kirkuk province on a daily basis.