16-year-old German girl among 26 foreigners arrested in Iraq after fall of Mosul

Three Iraqi intelligence and investigative officials have told The Associated Press that 26 foreigners including two men, eight children and 16 women have been arrested in the northern Iraqi city ofMosuland taken to Baghdad.

The sources say some of those arrested were fromChechnya, and the women were from Russia, Iran, Syria, France, Belgium and Germany. They spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the information is not yet public.

They say four German women have been arrested so far including one each of Moroccan, Algerian, Chechen and German descent. The Moroccan has a child and they were arrested inMosulabout 10days ago.

Prosecutors say a German girl who ran away from home shortly after converting to Islam is among those found in Iraq.

Prosecutor LorenzHaasefrom the eastern German city of Dresden says the 16-year-old, identified only as Linda W. in accordancewith German privacy laws, is getting consular assistance from the German Embassy in Iraq.

Haaseon Saturday wouldn't confirm media reports that the teenager fromPulsnitzin eastern Germany had been fighting for ISISinMosul.

He told The Associated Press that "our information ends with the girl's arrival in Istanbul about a year ago."

The Iraqi officials say the women had allegedly been working with ISIS in the police force. Their husbands were ISIS fighters but their fates are not known. The French and German embassies have visited the women. They expect that the children will be handed over to the countries they belong to and the women will be tried on terrorism charges.

Not clear if girl will be returned to Germany

They say Linda W. met a Muslim Arab online and married him after her arrival in Iraq. She was discovered in a basement in Mosul's Old City earlier this month.

Photos of a disheveled young woman in the presence of Iraqi soldiers were seen online last week, but there were contradicting reports about the girl's identity. Some said she was Linda W., while others identified her as either a Chechen ISIS fighter or a Yazidi girl.

The girl is in good health, the Iraqi officials said, adding that on the day of her arrest she was "too stunned" to speak but now she is doing better. They said she had been working with the IS police department.

Linda W. could theoretically face the death sentence, according to Iraqi's counter-terrorism law. However, even if she is sentenced to death in Iraq, she would not be executed before the age of 22.

So far, the young German has not made any statement. The officials said she is currently being held together with other foreign women at a prison near Baghdad's airport.

Haase says it's not clear if a German girlwill be returned to her home country.

Could face trial in Iraq

His office has not applied for the return of 16-year-old Linda W., he said."The public prosecutor's office Dresden has not applied for an arrest warrant and will therefore not be able to request extradition."

He added "there is the possibility that Linda might be put on trial in Iraq." He said she also might be expelled for being a foreigner or, because she is a minor reported missing in Germany, she could be handed over to Germany.

Pulsnitz Mayor Barbara Lueke says she's relieved the girl has been found in Iraq. Her school was aware of the girl`s conversion, but the family has been very reclusive and rarely seen in town, she said.

Linda W. started wearing long gowns before she disappeared from her family's home last summer. Her mother later found a copy of the girl's plane ticket to Turkey under a bed, German media reported.

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