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Arab News
2 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Is Iraq ready to stand alone against extremist threats if US withdrawal goes ahead?
LONDON: When Daesh extremists seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, many wondered whether the onslaught could have been prevented had US troops not withdrawn from the country three years earlier. As the militants surged into Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, there were reports of members of the Iraqi Security Forces stripping off their uniforms as they fled. 'We can't beat them,' an unnamed army officer told Reuters amid the chaos. 'They are well-trained in street fighting, and we're not. We need a whole army to drive them out of Mosul.' After three years of fierce fighting that took Daesh within 25 kilometers of the capital, Baghdad, the extremists were finally driven back and Mosul was liberated. The gargantuan military effort was spearheaded by Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service, bolstered by the return of American troops and the US Air Force. Images of the destruction in Mosul, along with the catastrophic impact of Daesh's occupation, might be playing on the minds of Washington officials as they once again weigh whether or not to remove American troops still stationed in Iraq. As it stands, the US and Iraq have agreed to end Operation Inherent Resolve — the US-led coalition's mission to combat Daesh — by September. Most of the 2,500 US personnel in Iraq are scheduled to leave in the initial phase, with a small number remaining until 2026. Many believe US President Donald Trump, acting under his isolationist tendencies, will want to hasten the withdrawal of those forces, or is unlikely to extend their stay if the Iraqi government requests it. With reports of an increase in attacks by Daesh sleeper cells, fears of instability across the border in Syria, and with Iran looking to shore up its proxy militias in Iraq, there are concerns that another complete US withdrawal will once again leave the country vulnerable. 'The risk of premature withdrawal from Iraq is that the Iraqi Security Forces will lose critical operational and tactical support, and Daesh will seize the opportunity to reconstitute and once again terrorize the Iraqi people and state,' Dana Stroul, research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former Pentagon official, told Arab News. The mooted withdrawal of US troops comes more than 20 years after the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam Hussain, freeing the country from dictatorship, but ushering in a period of sectarian civil war. US forces were drawn into cycles of violence and routinely became the target of two mutually antagonistic sectarian forces: Iran-backed militias and an insurgency in which Al-Qaeda played a prominent role. When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, he vowed to end US involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not without first ordering a massive troop surge in an attempt to salvage the mission. In Iraq, where more than 100,000 people were estimated to have died in the violence, there was widespread public anger at the American presence. In the US, the war was also deeply unpopular with thousands of American soldiers having been killed. Some American and Iraqi officials wanted to maintain a US military presence in the country, fearful of an Al-Qaeda resurgence. But attempts to negotiate an agreement for a reduced force failed and in October 2011 Obama announced that all of the remaining 39,000 US troops would be withdrawn by the end of that year, bringing a close to the mission. The US spent $25 billion on training and equipping Iraq's security forces up to September 2012, alongside Iraq's own spending on fighter jets and other advanced materiel. So it was something of a surprise that Iraqi forces were so quickly overrun when Daesh launched its offensive in 2014, having emerged from the remnants of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Images of Daesh fighters driving around in US armored vehicles captured from the Iraqi military symbolized how quickly Iraq's armed forces had deteriorated since the 2011 withdrawal. As the extent of Daesh's brutality began to emerge, including the slaughter of the Yazidi minority and the beheading of Western hostages on YouTube, the US ordered its forces back to the region, as part of an international coalition, to fight the extremists in both Iraq and Syria. After some of the most brutal urban warfare seen since the Second World War, Iraq's then-prime minister, Haider Al-Abadi, declared the territorial defeat of Daesh in December 2017. US forces continued to help their allies in Syria to defeat the extremists there in March 2019. By December 2021, US forces in Iraq no longer held combat roles, instead working on training, advisory, and intelligence support for the country's military. The remaining 2,500 US troops are spread between Baghdad, Irbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, and Ain Al-Asad air base. However, soon after Al-Abadi's declaration of victory over the extremists, a new threat emerged in Iraq in the shape of Iran-backed militias, originally mobilized to help defeat Daesh. Having extended their reach over Sunni and Kurdish areas, these groups began attacking US bases with rockets and drones in a bid to force their immediate withdrawal. These attacks, sponsored by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, prompted President Trump, during his first term, to order the killing of militia chief Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on their motorcade as they left Baghdad Airport on Jan. 3, 2020. Soleimani's death was a major setback for Iran's proxies throughout the region, but the attacks on US positions did not subside. In fact, with the onset of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Iraq's Shiite militias mounted a fresh wave of strikes, ostensibly in support of Hamas. The deadliest of these occurred on Jan. 28, 2024, when three US personnel were killed and 47 wounded in a drone attack on Tower 22 just over the border in Jordan, prompting then-US president, Joe Biden, to order a wave of airstrikes on militia positions in Iraq. Mindful of the need to protect its proxies in Iraq, at a time where Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis have been weakened and the sympathetic Assad regime in Syria has fallen, Iran appears to have forsworn further militia strikes on US forces. The latest agreement to end the US presence was reached in September last year with the aim of moving to a fully bilateral security partnership in 2026. Meanwhile, the US Defense Department announced in April it would be halving the number of troops in northeast Syria 'in the coming months.' An indication of Trump's aversion to the continued US military presence came during a speech in Saudi Arabia while on his tour of the Gulf in May when he decried 'Western interventionists.' A clear concern surrounding a US withdrawal is whether Iraq's security forces are now strong enough to withstand threats like the 2014 Daesh assault. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 is also no doubt fresh in the minds of defense officials. A recent report by the New Lines Institute think tank in New York said that a US withdrawal from Iraq would 'heavily impede the intelligence and reconnaissance collection, artillery, and command-and-control capabilities of Iraqi military forces.' The report studied quarterly independent audits for the US Congress between 2019 and 2024 to assess the capabilities of Iraqi forces. It looked at the three main forces in Iraq: the Iraqi Security Forces, Counter Terrorism Service, and the Kurdish Peshmerga. The report said: 'While segments of Iraq's military, such as the CTS and Kurdish security forces, have proven efficient in counterterrorism operations, several gaps exist in Iraq's conventional capabilities, including artillery, command and control, inter- and intra-branch planning, and trust.' The think tank said there were serious questions about whether Iraq's security forces would be able to 'hedge against internal and external challenges' in the absence of the US security umbrella. The report's co-author Caroline Rose, a director at New Lines, says the gaps in Iraqi capabilities 'could reverse over a decade of progress that Operation Inherent Resolve has made in Iraq.' 'If the objective is still to advance Iraqi forces' operational capacity, sustain gains against Daesh, and serve as a 'hedge' against Iranian influence, there is work still to be done,' she told Arab News. While Iraq has enjoyed a period of relative stability, the threats to its national security continue to lurk within and beyond its borders. The biggest fear is of a Daesh resurgence. Although the group has been severely depleted, it continues to operate cells in rural areas of Iraq and Syria, and has since made headway in Afghanistan, the Sahel, and beyond. 'Since January, the US military is still actively supporting the Iraqis,' said the Washington Institute's Stroul. 'There have been monthly operations against Daesh, including the killing of a senior leader in western Iraq. This tells us that Daesh is still a threat, and the US support mission is still necessary.' Another concern is that instability in Syria, where the embryonic, post-Assad government is facing significant security challenges, could again provide a breeding ground for Daesh that could spill across the border. 'There are still 9,000 Daesh detainees held in prison camps in northeast Syria,' said Stroul, adding that these present 'a real risk of prison breaks that will replenish Daesh ranks and destabilize Syria, Iraq, and the rest of the region. If the security situation deteriorates in Syria, this will have seriously negative impacts in Iraq.' And then there is the ongoing threat posed by Iran-backed militias. While these militias have been officially recognized as part of Iraq's security apparatus, some believe the US presence in Iraq helps keep them — and, by extension, Iran — in check. 'The staging of US forces and equipment, combined with a deep Iraqi dependence on American technical and advisory support, creates an obstacle and point of distraction for Tehran and its proxies,' Rose said. If the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is inevitable, then how can Washington best prepare Iraq to go it alone? For Rose, the US should play a 'long game' to sustain security ties with Iraq and preserve the progress made under Operation Inherent Resolve. She recommended the US continue investing in Iraq's defense and security, conducting regular joint military exercises, and using its current presence in Irbil and Baghdad to build strong relations with security officials. She also advised other international bodies, like the NATO Mission-Iraq and the EU Advisory Mission Iraq, to coordinate closely with the US as the drawdown gets underway. Although the US appears set on pivoting away from the region to focus strategic attention on the Asia-Pacific, some still hope there could be a way for America to maintain some form of military presence, given the rapidly evolving situation in the wider Middle East. Reports earlier this year suggested some senior Iraqi politicians aligned with Iran privately want a US presence to continue, at least until ongoing US-Iran nuclear talks reach a conclusion. 'The US military mission is one of support, advice, and assistance by mutual consent of Baghdad and Washington,' Stroul, of the Washington Institute, said. 'If the Iraqi government invites the US military to remain for some period of time, there should be agreement on the supporting role that the US can play.' If Iraq hopes to maintain lasting stability, it needs to ensure its security forces can act alone to protect the country and population from internal and external threats. Continuing to work with the world's foremost military power, even in a limited capacity, would go some way to ensuring the horrors of 2014 are not repeated.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
UN mission in Iraq closes key Mosul office as it winds down operations
A special mission established by the UN in 2003 at the request of the Iraq government has shut down a key office, in another step towards ceasing operations in the country by the end of this year. The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq closed its offices Mosul this week. Unami, which has its headquarters in Baghdad, was set up after the US-led invasion that toppled the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. It was given a broad mandate to help develop Iraqi institutions, support political dialogue and elections, and promote human rights. The agency's heads have shuttled between Iraq's political, security and judicial officials to help resolve conflicts. Baghdad requested last year that the mission end by 2025, saying it was no longer needed because Iraq had made significant progress towards stability. 'Iraq has managed to take important steps in many fields, especially those that fall under Unami's mandate,' Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. However, the mission will continue to deliver in its remaining mandate, 'including providing technical electoral assistance, promoting human rights, supporting humanitarian and development tasks', an Unami representative told The National. In the final months of the year, the agency's work will be 'transferred to the UN Country Team operating in Iraq or to the national authorities', the representative said. 'In short, while Unami is leaving Iraq, the United Nations is not. The United Nations will continue to engage in support of the Government and the people of Iraq.' Unami closed its office in the northern city of Kirkuk at the end of April. Its remaining offices in Erbil, capital of the Kurdish region, and in the southern city of Basra will be closed along with its headquarters at the end of the year. Mr Guterres, who was in Baghdad this month for the Arab Summit, said during a meeting with Mr Al Sudani that the world body 'remains fully committed to continuing to support the government and people of Iraq following the departure of Unami'. Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to Mr Al Sudani, told The National that ending the UN mission represents a significant milestone for Iraq. 'It reflects the international community's recognition of the progress Iraq has made in strengthening its institutions, achieving greater political stability, and moving beyond the post-conflict phase,' he said. 'This is not the end of Iraq's relationship with the United Nations, but rather the beginning of a new phase – one based on equal partnership, development co-operation, and mutual respect.' Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, said Mr Al Sudani's government was claiming the concept of sovereignty and that a monitoring mission such as the UN's that reports on the progress of the country should be abolished. 'This is not normal, and these are the words that are used by the Iraqi government: 'We want to be a normal country',' Mr Mansour told The National. 'From the perspective of the Iraqi government, the [UN mission] is outdated and does not fit with where Iraq is right now. From the UN perspective, they believe that they helped with rebuilding of the state.' Iraq expert Sajjad Jiyad, a fellow at Century International, said Baghdad still needs international support in areas such as fighting corruption and enforcing reforms across state institutions. 'It still needs international support for things that have troubled the Iraqi state for these past two decades – issues like corruption and financial management, engaging in reforms, economic ones, military logistics,' he told The National. The assistance may not come from the UN but other institutions, although Iraq will continue to deal with the UN, he said.
The National
16-05-2025
- General
- The National
Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul
In February, the Unesco celebrated the completion of the restoration of the leaning 45-metre minaret as well as two nearby churches as part of the Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative
The National
16-05-2025
- General
- The National
Long lost to time, northern gate of Mosul's Al Nuri Mosque restored to its rightful place
It's not merely a gate. It's a threshold to a memory restored at last. Beneath the dust and shadow of war, remnants of the lost gate from the 12th-century Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq have been lying in storage for nearly half a century. Years after it was bombed by the terrorist group ISIS, new pieces have been unearthed amid reconstruction efforts led by a Unesco project partly funded by the UAE. The gate has eventually risen again, breathing life back into a lost chapter of Mosul's soul. 'The gate was first discovered during the 1980s but the fragments were kept in storage rooms since then,' Abdul Rahman Emad, an archaeologist at Nineveh Antiquities Department, told The National. 'During recent excavations we did at the site, we discovered the two lost pieces, so we decided to retrieve the fragments from storage and to put them together with the new ones to reconstruct the gate,' Mr Emad said. The stone gate, about 2.6 metre high and 2.4 metre wide, dates back to the Atabeg period nearly 850 years ago when the mosque was built by Nureddin Al Zinki, a Seljuk ruler of the Syrian province who famously unified Muslim forces against the Crusaders, Mr Emad added. It has now been reassembled and placed back in its original position in the mosque's wall. Though it no longer serves as a functional doorway, it stands as a powerful symbol – an enduring reminder of Mosul's deep-rooted history. 'Its historical significance compels us to restore it and place it in the exact same location,' he said. 'We want to return the mosque to its former state, with all its original details, because over the years it has undergone changes, developments and modifications,' Mr Emad added. During reconstruction, teams made an exceptional archaeological discovery in 2021. When workers were examining the site to ensure the foundations were safe, they noticed gaps underneath which led them to a room that was largely buried. They discovered four rooms, now thought to have been used for ablutions, and the original prayer hall, dating back to the 12th century, unearthing coins, jars, pottery fragments and carved stone from the Atabeg era. The extent of excavations was limited due to the fragility of the site. However, the older layers discovered have been integrated into the reconstruction design of the mosque, where visitors can see the original stones through a glass ceiling from the prayer hall. Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, was the first in the country to fall into the hands of ISIS during their takeover of 2014-2017. From the pulpit in Al Nuri Mosque, ISIS declared its self-proclaimed "caliphate' in parts of Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The extremists blew up its famous leaning minaret in June 2017 as they retreated from the last urban stronghold they held for almost three years of a ruinous war. In February, Unesco celebrated the completion of the restoration of the 45-metre minaret, as well as two nearby churches, as part of the $115 million Revive the Spirit of Mosul project. The UAE donated $50.4 million to restore the mosque and its Al Hadba minaret, as well as Our Lady of the Hour Convent, its House of Prayer and Al Tahera Church. Today, more than 90 per cent of Al Nuri complex has been restored and handed over to Sunni Waqf in Nineveh before the official inauguration ceremony, said Sheik Ahmed Rakan Al Ebadi, spokesman for Sunni Waqf. The restored complex radiates grandeur. Its gardens are lush with neatly manicured lawns and flowers, as the minaret, decorated with ornamental brickwork featuring floral and geometric designs, once again dominates the Mosul skyline with a gleaming copper crescent placed on the top. The mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Makkah, has been largely repaired using its original stones but the minbar, from where sermons are delivered, had to be predominantly rebuilt using new materials. Intricate patterns of geometric and floral designs are etched into the walls and pillars. 'The mosque is an identity for the city of Mosul and it is a source of pride not only for every Mosuli citizen but for every Iraqi citizen,' Sheik Al Ebadi said. The inauguration ceremony date will be determined soon. 'Al Hadba minaret today touches the sky and the mosque has been restored to its former glory – truly an indescribable feeling,' he added.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
ISIS brutes shot me after picking off my comrades… I fear terror army's return but wouldn't hesitate fighting them again
AS a merciless ISIS fighter shot dead two of his squad, Macer Gifford assumed his death was just seconds away. But as a bullet ricocheted off his armour, the former Brit banker's heart pounded as he hurled himself to the ground to take cover. 9 9 9 It was one of just hundreds of times the volunteer fighter narrowly cheated death as he battled ISIS in Syria - and later Russia in Ukraine. Rewind to 2014, and Macer had what many would deem an idyllic life. Living in Battersea, central London, the banker-turned-fighter had a girlfriend and was working in the foreign exchange business. As Mosil, the second largest city in Iraq, fell and thousands of Yazidi girls became trapped on Sinjar Mountain before being murdered or sold into sexual slavery, Macer made a life-changing decision. Then just 27, he ditched both his job and his girlfriend to travel 3,000 miles to Syria - where a bloody war was raging. Over a traumatic three years, Macer watched friends die, jihadists use babies as human shields and civilians massacred. Speaking as part of Life Stories, The Sun's YouTube series which sees ordinary people share their extraordinary experiences, he said: "I fought ISIS all the way for those three years, from the edges of the desert all the way to the capital city Raqqa. "It was absolutely horrifying to see this absolutely beautiful country with a history that stretches back thousands of years completely ripped apart by sectarianism. "A death cult had emerged in Syria that was determined not only to destroy the diversity of the country, but its history, its culture. "The threat ISIS posed at the time was monumental and unprecedented. I waded through bodies in Ukraine's No Man's Land to infiltrate enemy trenches - then Russians found me & unleashed hell "It wasn't just a case of me working for a charity and dealing with the effects of ISIS. "I knew that the real partners on the ground, the Kurds, were the ones who had the answer to defeat ISIS and restore peace in the region." The former public schoolboy, who grew up in rural Cambridgeshire, said in the three hellish years he spent in Syria, he was almost killed "a thousand times". Recalling one heart-stopping incident, Macer, 38, said: "I was patrolling in Raqqa at midnight and we came across a man who was calling to us to say his family was trapped in a house across the road. "We had no idea whether that man worked for ISIS, but when my commander and a couple of other guys crossed this road, including myself, we were ambushed by an ISIS fighter with a PK machine gun. "They shot left to right, killing the first two guys in the squad. I was the third, and my plate was struck by a bullet. "I flung myself to the ground and crawled off the road to return fire and seek cover. "And that unleashed 24 hours of hell. "I had to run back onto this road where there were a lot of ISIS fighters shooting at us to grab hold of my commander, to drag him to safety. "Sadly, he would die in my arms just hours later." 9 9 9 Macer told how dozens of ruthless IS fighters suddenly swarmed their position - with many of his comrades brutally killed. Brave Kurds desperately tried to fend off the attack by shooting terrorists one by one as they ran up the stairwells. Macer added: "The U.S. Air Force was on our side and they were able to air strike all the ISIS positions around us, including tunnels where they were emerging just 10 meters away from where we were hiding. "So for 24 hours we fought without water, which was by far the worst thing as far as I'm concerned, because every time the Americans dropped a bomb, it kicked up all the dust, which was absorbed into our lungs. "We were coughing so much. Some of the guys were getting nosebleeds. They were coughing up blood because there was so much. "They had drunk nothing for 24 hours and there was so much dust in the air. "And then finally we grabbed the bodies of our comrades, put them in the back of Humvees, jumped in and were able to escape. "But there were moments in time where we were very close to death. "I was scared, particularly when your life is no longer in your hands, that you don't have any chance to seek cover, that you really are just pinned in the open with people shooting at you. 9 "And there have been many moments where people that I know, good friends of mine, have gone one way and died. I've gone the other way and survived. It is pure luck sometimes. "Much better people than me, men and women, have died because they kicked down the wrong door or they went on a mission that I was asked to sit behind for." After relentless fighting in Raqqa - the epicentre of ISIS - for six months, Macer rejoiced as the city was liberated in October 2017. "As I sat there on this rooftop after six months of fighting, I saw them [terrorists] limp out of the hospital, broken and destroyed. "These fanatics, these absurd, psychopathic fanatics were once so full of hate and so full of victory in those early days, thinking they were going to conquer the world. "They were completely deluded. And I saw them for the first time utterly broken, and I realised they were going to flee into the desert. "The Americans, the Brits, the Kurdish forces that I'd been fighting alongside would continue to chase them and hunt them down. "But my time in Syria had come to an end, because the sacrifices I was making away from my family, the worry it was causing them, it had to be for a reason. "And after three years, I could no longer see a good enough reason for me personally to be there, so I came home. "Coming to terms with your experiences after seeing such brutality and giving up so much of your life is very difficult." Returning back to the UK, Macer settled back in by taking up a Master's in international relations, peacebuilding and security, and writing his first book - Fighting Evil. 9 9 Then in 2022, as Vladimir Putin's forces and tanks massed at the Ukraine border and all-out war loomed, Macer felt the urge to help. Days before Russian troops invaded, Macer went to Ukraine to dish out aid - and was on the ground when the first bombs slammed into Ukraine. Macer travelled back to the UK to rally a team of comrades who went back and trained dozens of people in combat casualty. But after witnessing horrific scenes, he felt compelled to pick up his rifle again and joined the 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. Macer fought in the fields between Mykolaiv and Kherson, the islands of Dnipro and the forests of Lyman - and came under severe bombardment. Fortunately, he escaped any serious injury. One of Macer's most important roles as part of the 131st was gathering intelligence by risking his life on the frontline, looking for minefields and preparing the way for Ukrainian assaults. But back home Macer's dad was battling Parkinson's and was rushed into hospital, so he decided it was time to head home at the start of start of January 2024. By Henry Holloway, Deputy Foreign Editor ISIS could unleash a new wave of terror by springing fighters from camps like the one holding Shamima Begum, a top general who helped defeat the death cult has revealed. General Mazloum Abdi, who leads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - a Kurdish-led US-backed militia, sounded the alarm over the resurgent terror group. Speaking to The Sun in an interview with documentarian and ex-soldier Alan Duncan, Abdi said there are currently 10,000 male fighters in prisons ready to bring devastation back to the Middle East. General Abdi revealed SDF believe that ISIS forces - which were bravely driven back by his troops - are currently organising a prisonbreak of fighters still held in Syria. He also warned the threat of ISIS continues in the West. General Abdi said: "The threat of jihadist groups - not just ISIS - will exist until the fundamentals they were founded on are destroyed. "We must continue our struggle." He also called on the West to do more to bring these fighters to justice - and to support trials and convictions for the atrocities they committed in the Middle East. General Abdi told The Sun: "The threat of ISIS in detention centres and camps is increasing and there is an increase in the movement of ISIS in general. "There is a need to intensify efforts to continue to fight against ISIS if we don't want to see a resurgence." Macer said: "I rushed back to see my father and sadly on my birthday, 20 days later, on January 21 he died. "And it gave me a new perspective on life. It made me realise that I'd gone out to Ukraine with a purpose. I'd fought. I'd raised money. I'd built infrastructure. "If you go out without a plan to a war zone, you will lose yourself. And I didn't want to lose myself. I wanted to go out, complete my mission, come home and move on. And that's exactly what I've done." Macer said his life now revolves around writing, his family and fundraising. Last year he raised around £75,000 that went out to units in Ukraine. Despite everything he's been through, Macer revealed he would be prepared to return to the battlefield if ISIS "rose up tomorrow". And Macer warned this is a very real possibility. The return of ISIS could be devastating. There are 70,000 prisoners that are just as fanatical today as they were when they were first captured. "I fear a resurgence from the Islamic State," he said. "I have watched Syria over the last seven, eight years, since I was last there, with growing horror as Britain has played second fiddle to the Americans. "The Americans have taken their eye off the ball, have taken resources out of Syria and Iraq. "My biggest fear is that unless we give people in Syria something to fight for and to dream for, ISIS will simply return. "The return of ISIS could be devastating. There are 70,000 prisoners that are just as fanatical today as they were when they were first captured. "There are people who have committed the most appalling human rights abuses. They have committed genocide." Macer added: "This death cult is something that won't just go away unless we start dealing with the root causes of it. "If they were to break out of those prisons, it could grow as quickly as it did in 2014 when I first went out. "So we could be at square one literally within a year. I would definitely go out and fight again. "If the IS rose up tomorrow and became a threat to the Zidi, Christian, and Kurdish communities, the Arab communities of Syria, Iraq, it would take very little for me to go out there again, pick up a rifle, work with the local people and fight back." ISIS jihadis return to UK without facing justice By Ryan Sabey, Deputy Political Editor MORE than 400 IS jihadis have returned to the UK but not faced justice, a damning report finds. Fighters carried out killings, terror attacks and genocide after joining the banned terror group in Iraq and Syria. Lord Alton, head of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, said ministers cannot 'wash their hands' of crimes because they happened overseas. The committee said the Government has to make sure the jihadis are put on trial in the UK. Lord Alton said: 'We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh [IS] regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice. 'We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators, some of whom may have returned to Britain, others likely detained in camps in Syria.'
