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Trump urges Europe to 'take back' captured IS fighters
Warminster: US President Donald Trump has told European allies to "step up" and take back more than 800 Islamic State group (IS) fighters captured in Syria and put them on trial.
Donald Trump
By
Published : Feb 17, 2019, 5:04 PM IST
Courtesy: Metropolitan Police Trump tweeted that with the IS group about to be defeated in their last toehold on the border between Syria and Iraq, "the alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them".
Not dealing with the issue meant IS group fighters could "permeate Europe", the president warned, and he called on Britain, France and Germany to "do the job that they are so capable of doing".
Also Read: ICJ to hold public hearings in Kulbhushan Jadhav case from Feb 18
The capture of Baghouz, the last pocket still held by IS group fighters, would mark the end of a devastating four-year global campaign to end the extremist group's hold on territory in Syria and Iraq.
At the height of the group's power in 2014, their so-called "caliphate" extended to nearly a third of both Iraq and Syria.
Also Read: Heather Nauert withdraws her nomination for US Envoy to UN
Trump's tweets came as debate continued in Britain about Shamima Begum, the schoolgirl who ran away from home to join the IS group.
Now 19, and pregnant, she has called on the government for help to bring her back to the UK.
Courtesy: Metropolitan Police Trump tweeted that with the IS group about to be defeated in their last toehold on the border between Syria and Iraq, "the alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them".
Not dealing with the issue meant IS group fighters could "permeate Europe", the president warned, and he called on Britain, France and Germany to "do the job that they are so capable of doing".
Also Read: ICJ to hold public hearings in Kulbhushan Jadhav case from Feb 18
The capture of Baghouz, the last pocket still held by IS group fighters, would mark the end of a devastating four-year global campaign to end the extremist group's hold on territory in Syria and Iraq.
At the height of the group's power in 2014, their so-called "caliphate" extended to nearly a third of both Iraq and Syria.
Also Read: Heather Nauert withdraws her nomination for US Envoy to UN
Trump's tweets came as debate continued in Britain about Shamima Begum, the schoolgirl who ran away from home to join the IS group.
Now 19, and pregnant, she has called on the government for help to bring her back to the UK.
RESTRICTION SUMMARY: CONTENT HAS SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS, SEE SCRIPT FOR DETAILS
SHOTLIST:
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER/@realDonaldTrump - AP CLIENTS ONLY
Internet - 17 February 2019
1. SCREENGRAB of tweet, reading (English) "The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them..."
2. SCREENGRAB of tweet, reading (English) "...The U.S. does not want to watch as these ISIS fighters permeate Europe, which is where they are expected to go. We do so much, and spend so much - Time for others to step up and do the job that they are so capable of doing. We are pulling back after 100% Caliphate victory!"
MILITANT VIDEO (AAMAQ NEWS AGENCY) - NO ACCESS IRAQ
++EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO WAS POSTED ONLINE BY THE COMMUNICATIONS ARM OF THE ISLAMIC STATE GROUP AND AP HAS MADE EVERY EFFORT TO IDENTIFY AND ACCESS THE UGC FROM THE CONTENT CREATOR, HOWEVER THE AP CANNOT ROUTINELY COMMUNICATE WITH MILITANT SOURCES++
++THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE DATE AND AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL++
ARCHIVE - Mosul, Iraq - 2 December 2016
3. Various of Islamic State group fighters firing weapons
SKY - NO ACCESS BBC, ITN (INCLUDING CHANNEL 4 AND 5), AL JAZEERA, BLOOMBERG
Warminster, UK - 17 February 2019
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Chip Chapman, former head of counter-terrorism at UK Ministry of Defence
"The number is sort of unspecific, but they remain there, they're active in most of the provinces in Iraq. And, of course, it's not quite sorted in Syria yet. And of course they could also make a resurgence, because like all these things, winning the peace is as good as winning the war. And it's really to do with both governance and reconstruction in the end, which will help to undermine them. And partly, that's been one of the problems at the moment in Iraq, where the Popular Mobilisation Front, the Shia militias which helped to liberate Mosul and the other areas, are now being used in those cities, and that could impact on the Sunnis and lead to this Sunni revivalism, which was exploited by IS in 2014 in the beginning."
++BLACK FRAMES++
SKY - NO ACCESS BBC, ITN (INCLUDING CHANNEL 4 AND 5), AL JAZEERA, BLOOMBERG
Warminster, UK - 17 February 2019
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Chip Chapman, former head of counter-terrorism at UK Ministry of Defence
"Where Donald Trump is right, of course, is that if the US withdraw, the prisoners being held - and don't forget this is not just IS fighters, this is women and children, so you need a policy issue for all those three constituent groups - but if the US withdraw, then the SDF, the Syria Democratic Force, or the Kurdish elements which are holding these people, may not be in a position to continue to hold these. So there does need to be some policy issued which deals with this. Now that we know that 900 Brits went, of which 40 percent returned very quickly and they were really the sort of disillusioned and disappointed who are probably not a threat. Twenty percent were killed, so we're probably dealing with the the 40 percent of Brits who still went (and) are there, which may be three to four hundred people and includes, as I said, those women and children. So we need a policy issue to deal with them, deal with this."
++BLACK FRAMES++
SKY - NO ACCESS BBC, ITN (INCLUDING CHANNEL 4 AND 5), AL JAZEERA, BLOOMBERG
Warminster, UK - 17 February 2019
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Chip Chapman, former head of counter-terrorism at UK Ministry of Defence
"What is difficult is that in international law again, we can't exclude them totally for the future. And if we tried to do that then someone will probably have a legal challenge against us. It is a bigger issue than just the (Shamima ) Begum thing. So, should they come home? The answer most people and in the Sky survey last week would be no. Might they come home? It's probably yes. Can we legally stop them ultimately is probably no. So we really need some sort of policy issued. But for politicians this is really, really difficult territory."
METROPOLITAN POLICE HANDOUT - 14 DAYS NEWS USE ONLY/NO ARCHIVE/MUST CREDIT METROPOLITAN POLICE
Date and Location Unknown
7. STILL of Shamima Begum
METROPOLITAN POLICE HANDOUT - 14 DAYS NEWS USE ONLY/NO ARCHIVE/MUST CREDIT METROPOLITAN POLICE
ARCHIVE: London, UK - 17 February 2015
8. STILL: Image combination of stills taken from CCTV of Kadiza Sultana (left), Shamima Begum (centre), and Amira Abase going through security at Gatwick airport
STORYLINE:
US President Donald Trump has told European allies to "step up" and take back more than 800 Islamic State group (IS) fighters captured in Syria and put them on trial.
Trump tweeted that with the IS group about to be defeated in their last toehold on the border between Syria and Iraq, "the alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them".
Not dealing with the issue meant IS group fighters could "permeate Europe", the president warned, and he called on Britain, France and Germany to "do the job that they are so capable of doing".
The capture of Baghouz, the last pocket still held by IS group fighters, would mark the end of a devastating four-year global campaign to end the extremist group's hold on territory in Syria and Iraq.
At the height of the group's power in 2014, their so-called "caliphate" extended to nearly a third of both Iraq and Syria.
Trump's tweets came as debate continued in Britain about Shamima Begum, the schoolgirl who ran away from home to join the IS group.
Now 19, and pregnant, she has called on the government for help to bring her back to the UK.
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