Cross-party UK delegation visits northern Syria to discuss foreign fighter issue, international court
Amel Dada, the co-chair of the administration’s External Affairs Bureau, said it is necessary to find a solution for the thousands of Islamic State fighters and families that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold.
“If we do not do that, it constitutes a time-bomb, so we need to do something to solve this issue. Otherwise, we will really face serious problems,” Dada stated.
Northeast Syria is the “best place to prosecute those dangerous ISIS fighters because they committed their crimes here and we have evidence against them here, we have witnesses here, so that’s why this court, this tribunal, needs to be held in the north and east of Syria,” she added.
European Union states, including the United Kingdom, have been reluctant to repatriate their citizens that joined the so-called Islamic State – as well the detainees’ children from 54 different countries – who are now being held in camps in Syria the SDF run.
“When it comes to foreign fighters, as you have heard, we listened in great detail about some of the suggestions about an international tribunal, and these are things that we will continue to take back and try and pursue,” Russell-Moyle said.
The MP noted that they did not visit northern Syria to suggest solutions to the SDF or the local administration, but instead “to listen, to have a dialogue.”
“We will use [our] influence to try and help to assist, to try and ensure your voice is heard in London so those solutions can be found.”
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany