Northern Syria officials overwhelmed by detained ISIS fighters request int’l help

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Authorities in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) are unable to indefinitely hold alleged foreign members of ISIS and their families who were captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), so they are calling on their home countries to assist.

Officials in the Northern Syrian Federation are currently holding some 500 ISIS men, 550 women and 1,200 children, Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign relations for the Jazira canton, told reporters on Thursday in Qamishli.

“For us this is a heavy load and we cannot handle it on our own. The same way we and the international community combated terrorism together we also have to tackle this dangerous issue together,” he explained.

Omar with a Sudanese diplomat announced a captured woman accused of being an ISIS member would be taken back to Khartoum.

The primarily Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) formed the backbone of the SDF — the partnered ground force of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition. Washington says it is committed to keeping a military presence in Syria despite rhetoric from President Donald Trump to remove troops.

“We live in an unstable region and no one knows what may happen. If there is any chaos and these ISIS men escape where will they go? They'll start posing a threat to the world again,” Omar said.

The SDF and coalition have cleared ISIS from about 98 percent of the areas the extremists once held in SDF areas and are making a final push toward Hajin near the Iraq border and Al Boukamal at the Euphrates. 

“With the selfless sacrifice of our men and women we were able to defeat ISIS and capture hundreds of their fighters and now every country has moral, human and legal responsibilities to come and work on this issue,” Omar implored.

Through the ISIS conflict, treatment of foreign ISIS fighters and families has varied greatly depending upon their country of origin. Some states have preferred for justice to be carried out in Iraq, while others have wanted their own systems — military or criminal — to investigate and carry out justice.