AKIPRESS.COM - More than 200 Iraqi Turkmen women have been abducted by militants affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) and are still awaiting rescue, chairman of the Iraqi Turkmen Front Arshad Al-Salehi told The Middle East Monitor  on March 9.

Speaking at a celebration organised by the Turkmen Women's Union to mark International Women's Day in the city of Kirkuk, northern Iraq, Al-Salehi said this is a "sad day" for Turkmen women. He said ISIS militants had raped many of the women and killed others.

Al-Salehi pointed out that "hundreds of pregnant Turkmen women who fled from Mosul and Tal Afar died after going into labour while on the road and that many of their infants died as well."

He accused the world's media of ignoring the plight of Turkmen women and urged Turkmen politicians to address the injustice suffered by Iraqi women during all human rights conferences they attend outside of Iraq. Adding that the foreign and Arab media continues to ignore the suffering of Turkmen women for "political goals".

The event included an exhibition of drawings depicting life in the shadow of war in Iraq.

Artist Nursal Kojho told the Anadolu Agency that women in Kirkuk were suffering because of ISIS's terrorist attacks.

Nursal said: "Iraqi women, especially mothers who scarify their children for the country are living difficult days. As we fight terrorism, we lose our children, our husbands and brothers and I aimed with my paintings to illustrate that and to say stop the sound of weapons, we do not want women to cry."