Al-Hol camp is an ISIS stronghold. Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images.
In 2019, my colleagues and I uncovered a British Islamic State affiliate held in a Syrian refugee camp. Tooba Gondal, the so-called “ISIS matchmaker” known for grooming and recruiting young women online, while publicly exulting in IS’s worst acts of violence, was being guarded by Syrian Kurdish forces. Yet when I returned to the camp, six months later, it was a smoking ruin. Initially captured by the Kurds during the bloody defeat of the IS, Gondal and hundreds of other foreign affiliates had seized their chance to flee, exploiting the chaos of a Turkish invasion to disappear into the desert.
Amid fresh chaos in Syria, history risks repeating itself. Turkey has again unleashed its militias against the Kurdish enclave, and thousands more IS members could yet escape. That includes dozens of British citizens, from young children to Shamima Begum to violent male killers. No wonder Sebastian Gorka, Donald Trumpâs counter-terrorism pick, is urging London to follow the American lead and repatriate its militants, hoping they can be tried and punished back home.
The British public and Government are dead set against any such repatriations. Yet itâs exactly this policy of abandoning both the detainees, and their Kurdish jailers, which endangers British lives â and risks blowback of terrifying proportions.
The end of the Assad regime has transformed Syria, including the multi-ethnic polity led by the Kurds in North and East Syria (NES). Emboldened by the collapse of Baathism, Turkey is conducting fresh military operations against the Kurds, just like those that enabled Gondalâs escape five years ago. At the same time, the change of government in Washington could bring its own challenges. Trump is currently weighing up withdrawing from the country altogether, leaving the Kurds, and their prisoners, to their fate.
All the while, IS remains a threat years after their physical caliphate was eradicated. Attacks in Syria nearly tripled in 2024, while the top Syrian Kurdish commander has warned that Turkish attacks on their territory are further strengthening the organisation. The groupâs ideology is still potent too. Just last week, a lone-wolf IS-linked extremist killed 15 in New Orleans, underscoring the diverse threat still posed.
Any breakout would strengthen the organisation’s resilient transnational networks, encouraging further attacks across Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Even before Assadâs fall, the head of MI5 used a rare public address to warn that IS were the number one security threat facing the country, a danger that would increase exponentially if thousands of radicalised loyalists went loose.
Given all this, itâs unsurprising that Trump should push the UK to take back its own militants, ensuring they canât fade into the wilderness, but finally face criminal justice at last. Nor is the incoming president alone. The Biden administration, the UKâs own terrorism tsar, and the Kurds themselves have all reiterated the same message: there are urgent security reasons for Britain to secure its IS members.
Yet though Khaled Issa, co-chair for foreign affairs in NES, warns that defeating the threat is âthe responsibility of the international community as a whole”, David Lammy has poured cold water on any chance of a policy rethink. Rather, the UK looks set to leave its erstwhile Kurdish allies to guard prisoners alone.
As hardly needs restating, the establishment of anything resembling a new caliphate would be a disaster: not just for Britain, but also ordinary people throughout the Middle East. Exploiting civil war in Iraq and Syria, the Salafist organisation rose to rule 10 million people back in 2014, drawing thousands of volunteers from over 80 countries. While Assad was responsible for the bulk of the deaths in his countryâs bloodbath, IS’s crimes were particularly heinous. They perpetuated a genocide against the Yazidis; slaughtered Shia Muslims and Christians; burned and beheaded prisoners; paraded crucified corpses; raped gay men and threw them off buildings.
Amid this nightmare, the Syrian Kurds found themselves in an unexpected alliance. Kurdish fighters rapidly proved themselves the only force capable of defeating IS on the battlefield, winning global sympathy and ultimately direct support from the USA, UK and other Western powers. Turkey â which fields Natoâs second-largest army â had long fought a violent war against Kurdish guerillas battling for autonomy. President ErdoÄan, for his part, was unsurprisingly enraged as the US chose to partner with Kurdish ground forces. But Washington trusted their Kurdish partners, and ignored protests from Ankara to offer âtemporary and transactionalâ support to a multiethnic anti-IS coalition spearheaded by Kurdish units. By 2017, this coalition had liberated Raqqa, the IS capital, capturing thousands of jihadis as they went.
Yet these battle-hardened volunteers didnât simply vanish alongside their caliphate. As Issa notes, over 10,000 male combatants remain in Kurdish custody, all guarded on a minuscule budget and amid war, geopolitical isolation and economic collapse. Male militants are held dozens to a room in former schools, crudely repurposed as detention centres. These are places where disease and radicalisation spread with equal ease.
Meanwhile, thousands of highly radicalised female members and their children are held alongside innocent, internally-displaced Syrians and Iraqis in a shabby camp-cum-detention centre called al-Hol. Among the endless rows of tents, female loyalists run a clandestine âmini-caliphateâ â where they intimidate other residents through beatings, arson, and murder. Some even hold Yazidi women in secret slavery to this day. More than half of the campâs population is under 12, with female militants grooming and training young boys to continue the jihad. When I visited al-Hol, primary-aged children threw stones as we walked among the tents, raising their index fingers in salute to Allah.
While these conditions might seem a fitting punishment, in truth they only create the perfect conditions for the organisation to regroup and rebuild: an ongoing sleeper-cell campaign outside the camps and prisons has killed hundreds of locals. At the same time, Assadâs fall has brought fresh opportunities for IS, benefiting in particular from Turkeyâs manipulation of the Syrian crisis to launch fresh attacks against NES. Notwithstanding its claims to oppose IS, the ErdoÄan government has happily indulged extremists elsewhere, allowing many thousands of militants to cross its territory into Syria. Today, Ankara bankrolls dozens of Islamist militias for the purposes of targeting the Kurds, including those sanctioned by the USA for sheltering members of IS, while top jihadi commanders have long hidden in Turkish-occupied territory.
Combined with the eagerness of IS members themselves to escape their rackety Kurdish prisons, the arguments in favour of repatriation are clear â not least when the numbers, for Britain anyway, are so manageable. With no more than 10 male British fighters left in Syria, alongside 20 women and 40 minors, it wouldnât be hard for the UK criminal justice system to process them. As UK terrorism commissioner Jonathan Hall KC has rightly noted, a country of the UKâs stature could easily manage the repatriation of a few dozen ISIS affiliates.
Why, then, has Britain been so slow to take action? Part of the answer again involves Turkey, which is bitterly opposed to any form of political or diplomatic recognition of NES. Domestic opposition clearly matters too. Liberal commentators are doubtless too quick to paint British IS affiliates as mere victims rather than potential culprits who need to be brought to trial, whether in the UK or elsewhere. But at the same time, conservative voices are too hasty in demanding that IS detainees in Syria are left to rot, ignoring the reality that this places an unjustifiable security and humanitarian burden on the Kurds.
Whatâs missing in all this is the voice of the UKâs own Kurdish partners. As Issa puts it: âISIS committed crimes against our people, war crimes, crimes against humanity, yet there was no international court or criminal justice procedure.â He and his colleagues have therefore been appealing for the West to repatriate its own nationals; to set up a proper international court or tribunal to process those thousands of global IS fighters; and to provide proper financial, political and diplomatic support to their beleaguered administration.
A senior Syrian Kurdish delegation will shortly visit the UK, where the security threat posed by IS detainees in NES will be high on the agenda. But while these officials have met with Trump and Emmanuel Macron, British authorities once again seem terrified of upsetting President ErdoÄan, the new kingmaker in Syria â and a key British trade partner. And with Turkey clamouring to finish the destruction it began back in 2019, time is running out for the UK to prevent a catastrophe whose fallout will reach far beyond the windblown camps of northern Syria, with fanatics far worse than Shamima Begum free to spread terror once more.
Matt Broomfield is a freelance journalist and co-founder of the Rojava Information Center, the leading independent English-language news source in north and east Syria.
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SubscribeThe Gorka view that the U.K. should repatriate and prosecute British IS fighters is probably correct – if nothing else, why would any country accept deportations from us if we donât clean up our own mess?
BUT – you just know that weâd find some way to exonerate them, release them into the public and probably give them a hefty payout.
Yes even MI6 said the British legal system isnât nearly robust enough to deal with them.
Donât forget too that in the socialist hierarchy they are nearly at the top of the tree of protected characteristics! ⊠Iâd doubt they would do a year in an open prison. Then on with the caliphate and the âuniversal religionâ.
There is no point in “hoping they can be tried and punished back home” or thinking that “a country of the UKâs stature” (you gotta be kidding!) “could easily manage the repatriation of a few dozen ISIS affiliates.” The plain fact is that the vast majority of Da’esh returnees in the UK has not been tried or punished. And as other readers have pointed out, they can continue to do us harm from within the prison system by radicalising the other prisoners.
We should only take them back if we have the following changes. First, we need an Australian-style law, whereby anyone who has been in a war zone for no good reason can be prosecuted, even without any evidence of them being actively involved. Secondly, that legislation has to be applied retrospectively. Thirdly, we need an American style “Supermax” prison for this kind of offender.
But let’s get real. We have absolutely no control over who comes here. They will turn up in a rubber dinghy (assisted by Border Farce) sooner or later, probably sooner.
“They will turn up in a rubber dinghy (assisted by Border Farce) sooner or later, probably sooner.”
And the RNLI!
Our ancestors knew what to do with irregulars who engage in indiscriminate violence against women and children.
Yeah Highland Clearances comes to mind….no details how it was done exactly….so you are suggesting we know!
Thereâs many atrocities that have been committed against the common man and woman by their ruling elites. Allowing the worst form of islamism to root and flourish in the U.K. is one of the latest acts of betrayal.
And then what Enoch Powell described in his speech will come true: “Like the Roman, I see the Tiber foaming with much blood”.
The West in the invasion of Iraq and continued Anglo-American occupation has completely shot itself in the foot. The world has been made and continues to be a more dangerous place. Those celebrating the fall of Assad will soon realise the real horror lies in his successors and their disgusting brand of Islamic terror coupled with their submission to the Zionist regime in Israel
Idiocy
Not hard for the British Justice System to process? Everything is hard for the British Justice System to process, most especially anything connected to Islam.
I laughed out loud at the question of why Britain has been inactive. Of course we have! Our foreign policy was entirely designed to placate any and all Muslims in return for oil. Our new policy appears to be to suck up to China (mostly for the short-term gain for the government), sidle ever closer to the EU again, and do away with any notion that we might project our own power.
That the Kurds have been “hung out to dry” by the UK and the USA boggles the mind. These are our natural allies in the region. Support them.
Shamima Begum is no longer a British national, so no need to take her back. If the USA wants her, they can have her.
And far from becoming further involved in the Middle East mess which the West has created, Britain should stay well away.
There is no benefit to Britain whatsoever in it meddling in the Middle East. Leave the various parties to fight it out, and give no further support to any especially IS.
Well said. But the benefit is, as always, being Americas little lap dog. It makes us feel important again.
There can be benefit for the UK from a proper relationship with the USA.
It would need our elected politicians to put the country’s interests first, rather than their own greed which is fulfilled after they have left office having done what they are told.
So probably never happen…
Britain meddling in the Middle East.
Imagine that.
Can’t they stick them all in Guantanamo?
Britain’s prisons have a serious problem with Islamic radicalisation. The first report on this was published back in 2016. Since then measures to control the problem, specifically Separation Centres and Close Supervision Centres, have been overwhelmed by the sheer number, still growing, of radicals in prison.
For many prisoners, muslim gangs are the only enforcers of order in an otherwise chaotic and insecure environment no longer controlled by the supposed prison authorities. Given the nature of the religion’s texts, distinguishing mere proselytising from radicalisation is next to impossible. And into this environment we want to insert more jihadists, and hope everything will turn out fine?
Strong, capable criminal justice systems may well be able to safely manage the repatriation of Islamists. No one can seriously describe the British criminal justice system as strong or capable anymore.
No No No âŠ. I donât care if they blow themselves up there. If we let them back in it shows the west to be so spineless that we actually deserve to be over run by the Muslim hordes.
Maybe we can drone them? I know Hellfires are expensive and the British Army canât afford many but it would be well worth it given the potential cost and danger of bringing them back to Europe.
Why is anyone concerned about the welfare of these people. I have a suggestion, whilst the gang of bloodthirsty religious fascists are all in one place..
‘On the lose’ in the sub-headline? We’re paying for this
And the USA with the men incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay without charge or trial. Obama promised to close it down within a fortnight if elected. Other Western countries do not have such remote prisons available. Dvil’s Island is no more.
Thereâs always South Georgia island. Drop them off with a fishing rod and a Quran – Job done.
I think online discussions often lack reasoning and critical thinking. People tend to respond from an emotional space, which is understandable but often leads to a loss of principled and thoughtful discourse.
When we allow immigrants to come here and they commit crimes or engage in harmful behavior, viewing them as an “outside group” while they are already living among us is illogical and counterproductive even stupid to radicalize citizens.
Perhaps a better principle would be to reconsider immigration policies altogetherâwhy do we in the West seem to be the primary destination for immigration? The idea of allowing people to come here without a clear and sustainable plan does not make sense, especially if their behaviors replicate what they were doing in their own countries.
If we create systems that discriminate against immigrants, other them, or foster environments of cruelty and injustice or even lawfare genocidal by expanding the prison system, we are not only harming them but ourselves. Building prisons and perpetuating systemic inequality creates a cycle of violence and division.
What we do here will inevitably shape how we are treated elsewhere. The world is interconnected, and these actions have far-reaching consequences.
We need to rethink the principles underlying immigration. Why do countries like China or Russia not experience immigration in the same way? Perhaps we need to stop immigration entirely and focus on assimilating those already here in a more positive and constructive way.
Cruelty, imprisonment, and perpetuating division will not solve the issue; it will only lead to retaliation and further cycles of harm. If we engage in such practices, we cannot expect to be treated differently when we are in other parts of the world. The solution lies in principled, fair, and humane approaches, rather than short-term or reactionary measures. Does this make sense? It feels like the current approach lacks principle.
That chain of thought can be extended. Why do illegal immigrants risk their lives and at the very least their savings to get into a flimsy dinghy and set out across one of the most dangerous sea lanes from the coast of a country such as France?
The answer – as first principle – is to stop doing whatever it is that makes them take that risk.
Precisely right! The West’s interference in the Middle East has been disastrous for both the Middle East’s and the West’s peoples.
Time to withdraw entirely.
If we allowed Mexico to develop similarly to Canadaâbecoming part of the G7, maintaining a strong currency, and being treated as a genuine part of North Americaâthe border crisis would resolve itself. This is because Mexico would have a real incentive to protect its rich borders, particularly with Guatemala. However, we have kept Mexico poorer than ourselves and then complain when they donât act as gatekeepers. Without incentives, why would they? It may even be a passive resistance!
It really should be make Mexico like Canada to have a shared and safer border!
But these are just bandages if we are willing to keep winner vs loser in the economy and financial arenas!
You know whom else is coming through the Darien Gap? Large numbers of young men from MENA and South East Asia. Large numbers of Islamic Army affiliates. Large numbers of unaccompanied Chinese fighting age men who are only let out of their country if their reason is considered valid – so entering a nation illegally should be at the bottom of Xi’s list, right? You know cartels in Mexico and South America are working with AQ and the Islamic Army, right?
The old models of ‘democratic understanding’ don’t work any more (if they ever did). Let’s not bother with the polite fiction of tolerance. Many nations are actively seeking to bring the US and the West down.
The people we’re dealing with don’t understand ‘principled, fair and humane approaches’. They understand strength – brute strength. They come from honour societies where there is a low level of social trust and kinship, and revenge, are everything. Strongmen succeed. Our weak approach is treated with contempt. Our profound lack of understanding of their psychological processes is the reason why we have seen mass assaults on our girls and women, and terrorist attacks in our cities. Hearts and prayers, vigils and candles are treated by them with contempt.
We need to come down hard. It’s the only language they understand. And we need to finish the job.
What worries me most is that these escaped fighters will make their way to Aghanistan and Pakistan to train with assorted Islamic groups, and the security services in the UK and US appear to have no understanding that the old divisions of Sunni vs Shia, Salafi vs Wahabbi have no meaning any more – they have an eschatological mission; ISIS, al-Qaeda et cetera are working together on a concerted attempt to take down the West. I hope Trump takes this more seriously.