The Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services has brought another 13-year-old under their custody as part of the authorities ongoing counter-terrorism operation in Maduvvari island of Raa atoll.

The 13-year-old is the child of one of the three men arrested throughout the operation, revealed Maldives Police Service (MPS).

Gender Ministry has since confirmed the matter to RaajjeMV, however, citing sensitive content the ministry refrained from revealing the island to which the child belongs, and her age.

RaajjeMV understands that the 13-year-old is in fact, from Maduvvari and the child of one of the extremists arrested.

Although the child went to school regularly at the beginning of the year, reports have it that the child stopped going to school following which school officials visited the house. The child is to have said that she does not wish to go to school.

Sources further report that the child “does not even step out of the house much” and was later married off illegally. After reports surfaced that she is pregnant, a team of Gender Ministry officials arrived in the island on Wednesday. Tests have since been done on her at the island’s health center.

She is the eldest of five children in the family of four girls and one boy. It has been reported that she was conceived out of wedlock. But her biological father is one of those arrested during the operation. He is suspected of having links to terrorist groups and for spreading extremist ideology.

The joint operation began in cooperation with the Maldives National Defense Force in Maduvvari on Wednesday morning.

The island is deemed to have a large community supporting extremism, recruiting individuals to terrorist organizations as well as obstructing the rights of children and women.

During the operation, officers will seek out the community on the island that has separated itself from the society by supporting extremist ideologies, expressing interest in joining foreign conflicts and recruiting people to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or more commonly known as ISIS, neglecting their children educational and medical rights such as vaccination as well as keeping their women locked up and imprisoned at home.

This comes at a time the issue of 13-year-old child bride who gave birth in the island, surfaced with the child’s parents having been arrested recently for negligence.

Reports of the 13-year-old child bride being raped and impregnated by a man, Ismail Hammadh surfaced during November and met with public outrage.

He was attacked by crew members on board a sea-cucumber fishing boat over an ideological disagreement on 22 November.

DNA reports have proven that the child is his. The rapist has since been remanded by 15 days. Since the operation was launched, another case of a second pregnant child bride also surfaced.

Three individuals have been arrested and remanded in the operation thus far.

RaajjeMV understands that the operation will continue in seven other islands