What's New

Israeli soldiers return after fighting Hamas in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge (File photo)

Report: Israel to Allow ICC Visit on Gaza War Mission Article

The UN Security Council (File photo)

Palestinians 'speed up' bid for Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements Article

A filthy mattress inside an ISIS sex-slave room

Stained pillows lie scattered across the floor of a dark, dank concrete room. This small cell, its peeling walls covered with Arabic prayers, is believed to have been the site of untold horrors for women kept as sex slaves by ISIS militants.

The prison was discovered by rebel Syrian fighters sent to secure the northern city of Manbij after it was recaptured from the extremists last month.

A plastic dog bowl filled with ground food and liquids is seen on the floor of one room. Elsewhere, a woman's comb is placed on top of a blue satin cushion.

Thin mattresses, moulding and covered with dirt, are seen shoved in one solitary corner.

Drugs, contraceptives and sexual stimulants used by the extremists and forced upon their captives were found in the chilling facility, the fighters said.

According to Sky News, Ibrahim Al-Mohammed told Arab 24: 'We discovered an Islamic State group prison for women, with rooms for groups as well as solitary prisoners.

'We found the worst, most violent torture tools, and may God curse them.'

The city of Manbij, which lies on a key supply route between the Turkish border and the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, was first captured by the extremists in January 2014.

Thousands of civilians were freed when the city was liberated by SDF forces on August 12 following a major offensive.

SDF troops later reported that ISIS fighters had planted some 13,000 mines throughout the city.

'ISIS Prison' Where Extremists Tortured Women Kept As Sex Slaves Document

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (File photo)

Netanyahu Weighs International Criminal Court Prosecutors' Request for Israel, West Bank Visit Article

The International Criminal Court

Analysis: Israel elevates the ICC over the United Nations Article

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

US-Led Nuke Negotiators Allowed Inspections Loopholes for Iran, Think Tank Says Article

UNITED NATIONS – A U.N. official says the world body will begin providing peacekeeping troops with 'no excuses' cards - part of a wider effort to combat sexual abuse in the organization's international stabilization operations.

Jane Holl Lute, special coordinator on improving the U.N. response to sexual exploitation and abuse, said the cards would make very clear the organization's standards of behavior during deployment.

Other measures to be introduced include mandatory training for troops and commanders and standardizing norms for reporting and dealing with cases where peacekeepers are implicated in sexual abuse.

The U.N. has long faced allegations of sexual abuses by its peacekeepers, especially those based in Central African Republic and Congo. The U.N. says there were 69 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers in 2015.

UN's latest Solution for Peacekeepers Who Rape: Distributing "No Excuses Cards" Article