Isis in Mosul: Brutal metal instrument used to clip women's flesh shows increasing barbarity within 'caliphate's' own walls
Isis is using a tool known as 'the Biter' to punish women whose clothes it claims do not completely conceal their body
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People in Mosul call it “the Biter” or “Clipper” – a metal
instrument newly introduced by Isis officials to punish women whose
clothes they claim do not completely conceal their body. A former school
director, who fled from the city earlier this month, describes the tool
as causing agonising pain by clipping off pieces of flesh.
Fatima, a 22-year-old house-wife who does not want to give her full name, said she had finally escaped from Mosul after several failed attempts because her children were starving and Isis had become more violent and sadistic compared with a year ago, especially towards women.
“The Biter has become a nightmare for us,” Fatima said after reaching safety in Mabrouka Camp for displaced people near Ras al-Ayn in Kurdish-controlled north-east Syria. “My sister was punished so harshly last month because she had forgotten her gloves and left them at home.”
Isis insists that women be fully veiled, wear loose or baggy trousers, socks and gloves, and be accompanied by a male relative whenever they step outside their homes.
Fatima said that a month after the use of this metal tool to punish her sister “the bruises and scars are still visible on her arm.” She quoted her sister as saying that “the biting punishment is more painful than labour pains.” Other witnesses describe the Biter as operating like an animal trap, or a metal jaw with teeth that cut into the flesh.
It is difficult and dangerous to escape from Mosul, which Isis has held since capturing it from the Iraqi army in June 2014. But people from the city, who have had themselves smuggled across the border to Syria and then to Kurdish-controlled territory known as Rojava in the past two months, all confirm that living conditions have deteriorated sharply. There are serious shortages of almost everything including food, fuel, water and electricity.
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Fatima, a 22-year-old house-wife who does not want to give her full name, said she had finally escaped from Mosul after several failed attempts because her children were starving and Isis had become more violent and sadistic compared with a year ago, especially towards women.
“The Biter has become a nightmare for us,” Fatima said after reaching safety in Mabrouka Camp for displaced people near Ras al-Ayn in Kurdish-controlled north-east Syria. “My sister was punished so harshly last month because she had forgotten her gloves and left them at home.”
Isis insists that women be fully veiled, wear loose or baggy trousers, socks and gloves, and be accompanied by a male relative whenever they step outside their homes.
Fatima said that a month after the use of this metal tool to punish her sister “the bruises and scars are still visible on her arm.” She quoted her sister as saying that “the biting punishment is more painful than labour pains.” Other witnesses describe the Biter as operating like an animal trap, or a metal jaw with teeth that cut into the flesh.
It is difficult and dangerous to escape from Mosul, which Isis has held since capturing it from the Iraqi army in June 2014. But people from the city, who have had themselves smuggled across the border to Syria and then to Kurdish-controlled territory known as Rojava in the past two months, all confirm that living conditions have deteriorated sharply. There are serious shortages of almost everything including food, fuel, water and electricity.
CLICK TO READ MORE
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