Donald Trump is demanding European leaders take back and prosecute over 800 jihadists captured in Syria.
ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump threatened to release more than 800 captured fighters from the so-called Islamic State if they are not accepted by their European countries of origin to stand trial.
Some EU leaders have responded to this demand, stating they aren’t yet ready to take the fighters back.
The case of Shamima Begum, a UK citizen who left aged 15 to marry an Islamic State fighter in Syria, has become a talking point. Begum has spent the past four years in Syria and now wants to return home to the UK.
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid was asked yesterday how he would handle requests for return from Islamic State fighters and their brides.
“Where I can, and where a threat remains, I will not hesitate to prevent this. The powers available to me include banning non-British people from this country, and stripping dangerous dual-nationals of their citizenship," the Javid responded.
Some, however, believe that the onus is on Europe to repatriate and prosecute these fighters.
"There are 800 people there that we can take back so we can make this group smaller. I think we have to take responsibility," Koert Debeuf, Director of the Tahir Institute for Middle East Policy said.
Danish MEP Anders Vistisen is of a different opinion. He said on Raw Politics that these criminals should be tried and convicted in the country where the crime occurred.
"Just like a Dane who committed murder in the US is convicted and tried there, they should be tried and convicted there," Vistisen said.