The U.S. Expects ISIS Detainees to Be Returned to Their Countries

As reports indicate an increase in the number of ISIS detainees by U.S.-backed rebels in Syria, a senior Pentagon official told Reuters that the United States expects them to be sent back to their home countries for trial. An unnamed senior U.S. Department of Defense official mentioned to Reuters regarding the detention of two British citizens who are members of ISIS that Washington is in discussions with London to make decisions about them. After the Syrian Democratic Forces detained two British citizens from the group known as the 'ISIS executioners', the issue of detainees and their citizenship has once again come to the forefront. Al-Shafi Sheikh and Alexander Coute, the two detained ISIS members, were from London and are said to be responsible for beheading and killing several prisoners alongside two others. Videos of the beheading of some prisoners, including several citizens of Western countries, were among the most famous propaganda images of ISIS during the peak of the group's advances in Syria and Iraq. In addition to the detentions in Syria and Iraq, several 'foreign citizens' who are members of the so-called Islamic State have also been detained in other countries, including Turkey. Members of the U.S.-led coalition will gather this week in Italy to discuss several issues, including the 'necessity of returning detainees to their countries'. This topic is expected to be emphasized by James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, according to Reuters. Kati Wilbarger, a senior security assistant at the U.S. Department of Defense, stated in an email to Reuters, 'We generally expect detainees to be handed over to the countries of which they are citizens.' Concerns have previously been raised about the manner and location of detainee custody: holding an increasing number of detainees in prisons alongside regular prisoners may lead to the spread of extremist ideologies and the radicalization of others. Another issue is the overcrowding of prisons and detention centers controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces. According to U.S. officials cited by Reuters, 'hundreds' of foreign detainees and 'thousands' of Syrian detainees are currently in the custody of the 'Democratic Forces'.