Holding ex-ISIS members in Syria not sustainable

The RUSI security think tank has said that tens of thousands of former ISIS members held in detention in north-east Syria need to be put on trial or repatriated and deradicalised.

Researchers argue that the current situation, in which 30,000 adults and 40,000 children from more than 60 countries are being held in camps and jails by Syrian Kurdish forces, cannot endure and requires a new global taskforce to resolve.

RUSI proposes creating a ‘hybrid court’, ideally based in the region, to try those accused of participating in terrorist atrocities. Those found guilty should serve prison sentences ‘in their country of origin’.

The report, which has been endorsed by Sir Mark Rowley, formerly Britain’s leading counter-terrorism police officer, also suggests that children should be assessed and prioritised ‘for repatriation and support’ in their countries of origin, where possible with their families, as part of wider process led by a specially created UN- or Global Counterterrorism Forum-led taskforce.

An estimated 70,000 ISIS followers have been held by the Syrian Kurds in jails and camps since the defeat of the former caliphate in 2019, including 2,000 fighters from outside Syria and Iraq as well as 27,500 foreign children. Most countries, including Britain, France and other European nations, have refused to allow the repatriation of the vast majority of former ISIS fighters and followers, believing it is more popular politically to let the remain in Syria.