<p>This article examines female cyber-jihadism through primary data collected in Iraq. Drawing on in-person interviews with 24 ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) female prisoners, supplemented by interviews with Iraqi and Kurdistan Region security officials, this study investigates the roles of Iraqi women in radicalization and terrorist activities conducted inside Iraq from 2014 to 2025. The study advances a hybrid radicalization model in which Iraqi women were recruited through offline social and institutional networks, trained within ISIL’s organizational structures, and subsequently deployed as a domestic cyber-jihadist workforce across digital platforms. The findings demonstrate that women’s participation extended far beyond passive support, encompassing propaganda dissemination, online recruitment, and the management of ISIL’s social media presence. This study’s contribution lies in shifting analytical attention from the dominant Western-focused literature on female radicalization toward the domestic Iraqi experience, revealing a distinct pathway shaped by patriarchal structures, institutional pressures and ISIL’s systematic exploitation of local women.</p>