U.S. Offers $5 Million Reward for Information on Somali-Born ISIS Suspect

GOOBJOOG NEWS | WASHINGTON — The United States has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on the whereabouts of Khadra Issa, a Somali-born Dutch national accused of holding a senior role in an all-female Islamic State unit in Syria and taking custody of two American children.

The reward, announced through the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme, places renewed attention on Issa, also known as “Umm Qaqa al-Somali,” and her alleged activities within ISIS.

According to the U.S. account, Issa travelled from the Netherlands to Syria in 2014 and joined ISIS. She is accused of later becoming a commander of Nusaybah Katibah, an all-female unit operating in Raqqa when the Syrian city served as the group’s main stronghold.

U.S. authorities allege that Issa was involved in training women, including foreign recruits, in weapons handling and combat tactics. She is also accused of enforcing the group’s strict rules against women and of involvement in violence against those accused of violating them.

The case carries a significant Somali connection because of Issa’s Somali origin and her reported alias, “al-Somali”. Her alleged trajectory also reflects a wider concern over foreign fighters and recruits who travelled from diaspora communities in Europe and elsewhere to join ISIS during the height of the group’s territorial control in Syria and Iraq.

The State Department has also linked Issa to the disappearance of two American children, Yusuf and Zahra Shikder. U.S. authorities say their mother, an American citizen who had joined ISIS, was killed in Syria in 2019, after which Issa allegedly took custody of the children.

Their current whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

The United States is seeking information that could help locate Issa and the two children. The reward is being offered under Rewards for Justice, a State Department programme that provides payments for information related to terrorism and threats to U.S. national security.

ISIS lost the last significant territory under its control in Syria in 2019, but the group and affiliated networks continue to operate in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Somalia also faces a separate ISIS affiliate, primarily based in the northeastern Puntland region, although the information provided by U.S. authorities does not establish a connection between Issa and ISIS-Somalia.