US repatriates family from Syrian detention camp for ISIS suspects

A US family have been removed from a Syrian detention centre for suspected members of ISIS and returned to the US. The move could have implications for hundreds of children born to non-Syrians who have been in legal limbo since the disintegration of the terror group.

The family of four were taken from al-Roj camp in the country’s north-east over the weekend, sources inside the camp have confirmed to the Guardian. They are believed to be US citizens of Cambodian ancestry and to include children born under Isis rule.

Another American, Hoda Muthana, an alleged Isis propagandist, was left behind. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, claimed there were no legal grounds for her to be repatriated.

Washington has repeatedly urged countries whose citizens were detained in Syria during the collapse of the terror group to repatriate them from two overwhelmed detention centres in which more than 132,000 people are housed. The retort from European states has been that the US should first sort out its own affairs.

While the total number of US citizens in detention remains unclear, the family of four represents a substantial number removed, which could increase pressure on other countries to repatriate their own citizens.

Based on the Guardian