British police to chase family suspected of joining IS

West Yorkshire police said on Tuesday they were hunting for a 12-member family who are suspected of travelling to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) militants.

Three sisters from Bradford and their nine children went missing after going on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, where they were believed to have taken a flight to Istanbul on 9 June.

"One of the possibilities is they travelled to Turkey to travel to Syria," Balaal Khan, the lawyer acting on behalf of the women's husbands, said in a statement. "The suspicion, and main concern, is that the women have taken their children to Syria."

It is feared they joined a brother of the three sisters, who is believed to be fighting with the extremists in Syria.

"We are extremely concerned for the safety of the family," said Assistant Chief Constable Russ Foster, of West Yorkshire Police. "Their families are gravely worried about them and want them home."

British police contacted Turkish authorities but pointed out there were no sightings or contacts made in the country, which is commonly used as a passageway into Syrian territory.

The news came two days after a British family recognised the pictures of their son posted on Islamic State-affiliated social media accounts before taking part in a suicide attack in Iraq's Salahuddin province.

Read more: British teenager identified as IS suicide bomber

More than 700 Britons are believed to have travelled to Syria, from which a significant proportion were thought to have tried to join the Islamic State (IS), with statistics revealing increasing numbers of women and teenagers becoming embroiled in extremism.

Read as well:

700 Britons have travelled to Syria

Australia takes steps against the Islamic State