Shamima Begum is currently held in al-Roj camp in north east Syria (Image: BBC/Joshua Baker)
Shamima Begum could be facing “torture” and “execution” in a new nightmare prison as the US scrambles to evacuate thousands of ISIS prisoners from camps inside Syria, campaigners have warned. Begum has been held in the al-Roj detention camp in the north east of the country since 2019. It’s thought around 60 former British nationals connected to the ISIS death cult could be held in facilities in Syria previously guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force (SDF).
But in the past 72 hours the Syrian army from the new Damascus-based government has launched a massive offensive with tanks, drones and militia fighters taking huge swathes of territory which the SDF had controlled since they helped defeat ISIS alongside British and American forces in 2019.
The SDF announced on Monday they had abandoned the biggest ISIS camp in the world, al-Hol, leaving an estimated 30,000 former jihadis unguarded. Syrian army units are now understood to have secured the camp which is just 90 miles, or around a two-hour drive from where Begum is held. The speed of the assault by the Syrian army appears to have taken the West by surprise and the US military hastily announced last night it would be transferring up to 7,000 ISIS inmates from Syrian prisons to Iraq. It’s thought a number of male former Brits could be held at the al-Hol camp.
The move comes after worrying reports ISIS-sympathising militias connected to Syrian army forces were allowing dangerous inmates to walk free.
The situation on the ground is fast-moving and it’s speculated the US could also move ISIS prisoners from other camps to Iraq, including Begum and the thousands held with her. Campaig group Reprieve’s CEO Maya Foa told the Express that the move was an “extremely worrying development” which should “ring alarm bells at the UK Foreign Office”.
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Shamima Begum speaking to the Daily Express in September (Image: Daily Express )
She said: “Summary trials and executions of prisoners in Iraq have been extensively documented. Anyone transferred to Iraqi detention facilities faces a very real risk of being tortured into making a forced confession and executed.
“We believe there to be no more than ten Brits in the male prisons – but it’s impossible to be certain because there is zero access to them for families or lawyers. The prospect of British men being transferred to Iraq and executed without a shred of due process should horrify the UK Government.
“If British nationals are being forcibly rendered to Iraq with the knowledge or acquiescence of the UK, this risks complicity in grave human rights violations, including torture and unlawful executions. Ministers must establish whether any British citizens are among those being transferred and take immediate action to protect them.”
Express have contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
According to Reprieve, there are around 55-60 British nationals in the Syrian detention camps and prisons, the majority of them children.
Syrian army forces have taken control of the al-Hol camp where ISIS prisoners are held (Image: Getty )
CENTCOM, the US Central Command in the Middle East, said in a statement on Wednesday night it had began tranferring prisoners from al-Hol.
Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, added: “Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities.
“We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.
“Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”
The Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North East Syria (DAANES) has called on the UN Security Council to discuss the ongoing conflict in north east Syria between SDF and Syrian army forces and militias. In a letter seen by the Daily Express, Ilham Ahmed, Head of the Office of External Relations, wrote: “We would be grateful if this message could be shared with other members of the Security Council in preparation for the discussion on 22 January. Given the situation on the ground, it is important that the views of all of those involved are shared.”