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                Wednesday 9 January 2019



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            Fate of detained IS fighters uncertain as US exits Syria




            By  DEB  RIECHMANN  and  Donald Trump’s Dec. 19 or-                                                                 tee of safety for the Kurdish
            SUSANNAH GEORGE, Asso-       der  to  withdraw  the  2,000                                                          fighters  who  have  fought
            ciated Press                 American  troops  from  Syr-                                                           alongside    U.S.   troops
            WASHINGTON (AP) — What  ia,  where  they  have  been                                                                against the Islamic State.
            to do with hundreds of for-  working alongside the U.S.-                                                            There  are  fears  that  the
            eign  Islamic  State  fighters  backed  Syrian  Defense                                                             U.S.  withdrawal  will  leave
            captured  in  Syria  has  be-  Forces  to  fight  the  Islamic                                                      a  door  open  for  Turkey  to
            come a critical and grow-    State group since 2015.                                                                assault  the  U.S.-allied  SDF
            ing  problem  for  the  Trump  But  there  are  no  easy  an-                                                       fighters. Turkey views them
            administration  as  it  pre-  swers. The official, speaking                                                         as part of a terrorist group
            pares  to  pull  troops  out  of  on condition of anonymity,                                                        linked  to  an  insurgency
            the country.                 said  releasing  the  fighters,                                                        within its  own borders. SDF
            A  senior  administration  of-  among  them  Europeans                                                              commanders have warned
            ficial  said  Tuesday  that  re-  and  some  U.S.  citizens,                                                        that  they  will  be  unable
            solving  the  fate  of  these  would be “unacceptable”                                                              to hold the 700 prisoners if
            prisoners  is  a  top  prior-  since they could simply re-                                                          Turkish  forces  invade  Syria
            ity as the government lays  join the remnants of Islam-                                                             following a U.S. withdrawal.
            the  groundwork  with  allies  ic  State  fighters  in  Syria  or   In this July 21, 2017, file photo, Kurdish soldiers from the Anti-  Administration  officials  so
            to  comply  with  President  elsewhere.                   Terrorism Units, carry a blindfolded an Indonesian man suspect-  far do not have a plan for
                                                                      ed of Islamic State membership, at a security center, in Kobani,   what to do with the prison-
                                                                      Syria.                                                    ers,  according  to  a  sepa-
                                                                                                              Associated Press.  rate  U.S.  official,  who  said
                                                                      “This  matters  because  SDF  joined  or  tried  to  join  ISIS.  that  few  countries  have
                                                                      holds hundreds of IS fighters,  And  sometimes  it’s  still  an-  been  willing  to  accept
                                                                      including  many  European  other thing for the govern-    any  of  their  captured  citi-
                                                                      citizens, and they might go  ment to be able to mount  zens.  Both  officials  spoke
                                                                      free if no solution is found,”  confidently   a   criminal  on condition of anonymity
                                                                      said Bobby Chesney, a na-    prosecution  against  that  because  they  weren’t  au-
                                                                      tional security law expert at  individual,”  said  Joshua  thorized  to  disclose  the  in-
                                                                      the University of Texas.     Geltzer,  a  senior  counter-  formation publicly.
                                                                      European  nations  have  terrorism official under Pres-   In  a  recent  case  of  an
                                                                      been  reluctant  to  take  ident Barack Obama.            American  suspected  of  IS
                                                                      back  citizens  with  ties  to  Meanwhile,  the  prisoner  membership,  U.S.  officials
                                                                      the Islamic State, not want-  problem  is  only  growing  wrestled  for  more  than  a
                                                                      ing  the  legal  challenge  of  worse.                    year,  never  charged  him
                                                                      prosecuting  them  or  the  On Sunday, the Syrian De-     and  then  ultimately  re-
                                                                      potential security risk if they  fense  Forces  announced  leased him in Bahrain.
                                                                      are released.                the  capture  of  five  fight-  The problem has been fur-
                                                                      And moving former fighters  ers,  including  two  U.S.  citi-  ther  complicated  by  con-
                                                                      to  the  United  States  poses  zens,  one  of  whom  has  flicting  reports  of  Trump’s
                                                                      some  of  the  same  chal-   been identified as a former  timeline  for  recalling  the
                                                                      lenges  the  U.S.  has  faced  school teacher from Hous-  2,000 U.S. troops from Syria.
                                                                      with  men  detained  at  the  ton.                        When he made his surprise
                                                                      military  base  at  Guanta-  Secretary  of  State  Mike  announcement of the with-
                                                                      namo  Bay,  Cuba,  includ-   Pompeo  just  began  a  drawal  three  weeks  ago,
                                                                      ing whether it’s feasible to  tour  of  eight  Middle  East-  Trump  said  he  wanted  to
                                                                      prosecute  militants  cap-   ern  nations  to  discuss  the  complete  it  quickly.  His
                                                                      tured on the battlefields of  withdrawal  of  the  Ameri-  abrupt  decision  led  to  the
                                                                      northern  Syria,  according  can  troops.  National  se-  resignations  of  Defense
                                                                      to experts.                  curity  adviser  John  Bolton  Secretary  Jim  Mattis  and
                                                                      “It’s one thing for the gov-  returned  Tuesday  from  a  Brett McGurk, special presi-
                                                                      ernment  to  be  very  con-  meeting  in  Turkey,  where  dential envoy for the glob-
                                                                      fident  that  an  individual  he  was  seeking  a  guaran-  al coalition to defeat IS.q
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