Washington calls on allies to repatriate ISIS fighters detained in Syria
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (D), during the ministerial meeting to discuss the crisis in Syria, in Rome, June 28, 2021. REUTERS - POOL
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The United States urges its allies - and in particular France - to repatriate its citizens currently detained in Syria where they had joined the ranks of the Islamic State group.
An “
untenable
”
situation
according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who raised this subject in Rome during the meeting of member countries of the coalition to fight against the IS group.
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It is estimated that around 10,000 suspected fighters and members of their families are currently held by Syrian Kurdish forces, allies of the United States.
France and the United Kingdom are the European countries most resistant to the idea of organizing the return of their nationals.
This situation "
simply cannot persist indefinitely
" according to the head of the American diplomacy Anthony Blinken.
The case of foreign fighters detained in Syria - sometimes with their families - is an ultra-sensitive subject, especially for Paris which has only repatriated a few children and their mothers, on a case-by-case basis, while the number is estimated at 200. children of French nationality currently detained in very difficult conditions in camps in northern Syria.
► Also to listen: Europe divided on the return of jihadist families
This Monday in Rome, the US Secretary of State praised the efforts of Italy or Kazakhstan which organized the return of their nationals.
Belgium is currently working on it.
For Anthony Blinken the other allies of Washington must repatriate their nationals to judge or rehabilitate them.
For the moment,
France remains deaf
to these calls, despite the steps of
often desperate
families
.
Last March, several lawyers for these families filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) citing the “
cruel and degrading
”
treatment
suffered by French nationals in camps in northern Syria.
►
See also Syria: British detainees victims of human trafficking, according to the NGO Reprieve
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