Australian woman leaves two children 'to join Isis in Syria' – telling babysitter she was going to pick up a new car
Friends of the 26-year-old believe she may have been brainwashed online by other Australians in Syria and that she has gone to find a husband
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Australian woman has reportedly left her two young children to join Isis, telling the babysitter she was going to pick up a new car and never returning.
Jasmina Milovanov, 26, is thought to have left her home in Sydney earlier this month and travelled to Syria. She text her ex-husband to tell him that their five and seven-year-old children needed looking after.
Ms Milovanov’s family told Australia’s Ten News that they were concerned she had been brainwashed.
“She is so young and naïve all we can do is pray,” her mother told the station. She added that “she never talked about it, she never mentioned anything.”
Ms Milovanov converted to Islam and now calls herself Assma Abdullah. According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph she is friends online with a notorious jihadi bride recruiter from Melbourne, Zehra Duman.
The paper reported that she texted her ex-husband who was in Turkey at the time to tell him she was in “sham” which is Arabic slang for Syria. She is not believed to speak fluent Arabic, however.
Her ex-husband told reporters he was concerned with her activity online and the pair had spoken about her “extreme” Facebook posts and that she converted to Islam in her late teens.
“She will jump. She is the type of girl that starts dreaming about something and wants to do it,” he said.
A former friend of Ms Milovanov also spoke to the ABC News, saying that she had often spoken about marrying a jihadi fighter.
“What we believe is Assma really wanted to get married, she was very lonely... we think that's how they've encouraged her to go,” the friend said.
“She's not a terrorist. I don't believe she's gone over there to fight,” said the friend, who did not want to be named.
They reportedly lent her $2,500, which her friends subsequently realised must have been to fund her trip.
Australian authorities believe that there are up to 40 Australian women who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to help terrorist fighters, the Mail Online reported.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told parliament on Tuesday that “I’m deeply pessimistic about the fate of this apparently troubled young woman,” speaking of Ms Milovanov. She added that she was relieved she left her children behind.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments