Britain will refuse any demand from Donald Trump’s new US administration to take back Shamima Begum or other Islamic State members with British links in Syria, David Lammy signaled today.
The Foreign Secretary spoke out after a member of Trump’s new administration indicated he would like Britain to bring its citizens home as part of a “commitment” to the international fight against the jihadist group.
Sebastian Gorka, who has been picked as deputy assistant to the president on counter-terrorism remit, called on Sir Keir Starmer to resign in an interview with the Times.
His comments come after ISIS bride Shamima Begum lost her final appeal against the government’s decision to revoke her British citizenship last year.
It is thought she would be one of several members of the terror group to be repatriated under plans by Gorka, a far-right commentator.
According to charities working in the region, around 20 British women, 40 children and 10 men are currently being held in detention camps in northeastern Syria.
But Mr Lammy told Good Morning Britain today bluntly: ‘Shamima Begum is not coming back to Britain.
‘It has gone through the courts, she is not a British national and we are not bringing her back to Britain. We are very clear about that.
The Foreign Secretary spoke out after a member of Trump’s new administration indicated he would like Britain to bring its citizens home as part of a “commitment” to the international fight against the jihadist group.
Sebastian Gorka, who has been picked as deputy assistant to the president on counter-terrorism remit, called on Sir Keir Starmer to resign in an interview with the Times.
His comments come after ISIS bride Shamima Begum lost her final appeal against the government’s decision to revoke her British citizenship last year.
It is thought she would be one of several members of the terror group to be repatriated under plans by Gorka, a far-right commentator.
“We will act in our security interests and many of the people in the camps are dangerous and radicals.”
He added that some in camps would should be jailed ‘as soon as they get home’ to keep the public safe.
Gorka said The times countries had to act in a way that reflected their desire to be an ally of the US.
And when asked whether Britain should be forced to take back ISIS prisoners, he said: ‘Any nation that wants to be seen as a serious ally and friend of the most powerful nation in the world must act in a way that reflects that serious nation. stake.
“That goes doubly for Britain, which holds a very special place in President Trump’s heart and we would all like to see the ‘special relationship’ fully restored.”
He spoke just days after fourteen people were killed in one of the worst ISIS-inspired terror attacks on US soil.
There are believed to be around 20 other jihadist brides in Syrian refugee camps who want to return to Britain (file photo)
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an army veteran, drove a pickup truck into people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans.
Washington is leading a coalition of countries, including Britain, in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East.
Tens of thousands of captured members of the terror group are currently being held in huge camps by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Western-linked group.
Since ISIS was defeated in 2019, the US has increased pressure on its partners to repatriate its citizens, many of whom have been detained for years.
The US Department of Justice has argued that it is their “moral responsibility” to bring the prisoners home and try them there.
Britain has so far taken a tough stance on the issue and has rejected most repatriation requests, the most infamous being the case of Begum.
The now 25-year-old traveled to Syria as a 15-year-old, but was later found in the al-Roj refugee camp in 2019.
She had been fighting to regain her citizenship since it was revoked on national security grounds until her latest appeal was rejected last year.
However, charities have warned that there could be around 20 other jihad brides in Syrian refugee camps who want to return to Britain.
Women use an umbrella as they walk through the rain in 2021 at Roj camp, where relatives of people suspected of joining the Islamic State are being held
According to the UN, Camp Roj is one of many camps where families of people suspected of having ties to ISIS have been detained over the past five years (archive photo)
Ministers are under increasing pressure to accept the returning brides (file photo)
Some testimonials from these incarcerated women with Begum in the al-Roj camp next revealed in WhatsApp messages seen by The Guardian.
In a message sent in September 2023, a British mother in her 20s says she feels the British authorities have ignored her.
“I’m going to die here if they don’t get me out soon,” read the message sent to British relatives. “I really, really want to go back and be with you. I really need hospital care.’
Others, sent to Britain by a small number of British mothers in 2023, show dire conditions in the camp, which houses around 3,000 people, 65 percent of whom are children.
After Islamic State was uprooted in Syria by Kurdish forces with US support in 2019, male fighters – including British men – were sent to prisons in the north of the country.
But women and children were held in two refugee camps called Roj and Al-Hol, also in northern Syria.
According to the UN, Camp Roj is one of several camps where families of people linked to IS have been detained over the past five years.
Most European countries, including Spain and France, have also repatriated their citizens so they can receive justice.
They have expressed concerns that the conditions are dire and that failure to return them will hamper global efforts to eradicate terrorism.
The British government has stripped most women of citizenship.