UK should take back British jihadists detained in Syria, says US defence secretary

The British government should take back jihadists from this country being held in Syria following the fall of Isis, or face the possibility that they may become free to engage in violence again, the US Defence Secretary has warned.

Speaking during a visit to London, Mark Esper wanted to stress that there were more than 2,000 foreign fighters currently detained after the end of the caliphate, and that it was imperative that they are accepted back in their home countries to face trial.

Although some European states have agreed to the return of their citizens captured in the battlefield, the UK has stripped some of citizenship, such as the teenager Shamima Begum, and stipulated that others need to seek consular help from neighbouring countries like Turkey.

Taking away passports, the US Defence Secretary wanted to stress, does not solve the problem : “That doesn’t resolve the fact there are these foreign fighters in Syria, how long is that going to last?”

Mr Esper stated that he would raise the matter with British officials during his visit as a matter of urgency. “It is an untenable situation. How long can it last? Our view is they should be repatriated and dealt with appropriately, that’s the message for Britain” he told a group of journalists. “Our position is that they should all go back to their home countries to face justice.”

Reflecting on the risk of the jihadists, some of whom have murdered British and American hostages, being freed from the prison camps of Kurdish militias where they are being held, Mr Esper said “ How long can they be guarded in these camps by others? You’re talking about several thousand fighters in total, there are over 2,000 foreign fighters, many of whom came from Europe, that is the situation.”

Asked about the scenario that the Kurdish groups may be forced to let the captives go if they were not repatriated home, the US Defence Secretary responded “ I don’t know, we don’t know, right? That wouldn’t be a good situation, but we are asking a lot of the folks holding them, the Kurds, to home them. Again, how tenable is that and for how long?”

Mr Esper is due to meet the Israeli Prime Minister who is also due in London. Benjamin Netanyahu, it is believed, will argue against direct talks with Iran being proposed by the US administration while the confrontation continues over the country’s nuclear programme.

Mr Esper, however, stated that he backed talks with Tehran, including the recent initiative on the issue from the French President Emmanuel Macron after an unexpected visit by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to the G7 meeting in Biarritz. But he maintained that Iran “ must also stop spreading turmoil and terror and everything through the region.”

As well as terrorism, the West faced threats from hostile powers, said Mr Esper, singling out Russia and China. He said “The rules-based order is increasingly under challenge by Russia and China. Russia is more in your front yard here, but I’ve got to tell you that China is a very challenging… their potential, the size of the country, their economic power, their growth line can really change the game in the Pacific and eventually globally if we don’t try and get them on the right path and stand up to the challenges they’re making around the world.”

“I think we all need to be more robust on China. I’m not talking about being confrontational, but just standing up and asserting rights and liberties of people .... I was in Hong Kong in 1997 for the handover and I recall what the agreement was. And look at what’s happening today – does that look like they live up to their agreements?”