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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - An Iraqi couple living in San Antonio, US, beat up and tortured their 16-year-old girl who allegedly ran away from her South Texas home to escape forced marriage.

The parents have been charged with attacking Maarib al-Hishmawi for refusing to marry an older man.

In an interview with Fox News Maarib said that her parents: Abdullah Fahmi al-Hishmawi, 34 years old, and his wife Hamdiya Sabah al-Hishmawi, a year younger than him, used to beat her with a broomstick sometimes.

The parents allegedly were to receive $20,000 for the arranged wedding.

The teen studied and resided with her parents and five other siblings, ages 5 to 15, who were taken with her to a San Antonio body to protect children and juveniles from any perilous danger in the province.

The County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced on Friday that the young girl who was last seen Jan. 30, has been found and placed with Child Protective Services — along with five younger siblings.

The Sherriff said that the parents were arrested over violence charges for allegedly attempting to choke the teen, beating her and pouring hot cooking oil on her.

The San Antonio Express-News reports officials say the family is from Iraq and has been in the US for two years.

The father appeared in late February on the KSAT television screen, to complain that local authorities had failed to find his daughter, who was still unfound at the time, although the San Antonio police had put efforts to find her.

Al-Hishmawi said he immigrated with his six children just two years ago from Iraq. He had previously worked as an interpreter for US forces there.

His cruel treatment of his daughter and forcing her to marry for money was the main reason for her disappearance.

The teenager agreed to get married for the $ 20,000, according to local television station CW39 in San Antonio, only to get rid of their beating and mistreatment, but she ran away before the wedding.

*Al Arabiya