US Judge Blocks Transfer of American ISIS Suspect to 3rd Country

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters hold up their weapons in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 3, 2017. Reuters
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters hold up their weapons in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 3, 2017. Reuters
TT
20

US Judge Blocks Transfer of American ISIS Suspect to 3rd Country

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters hold up their weapons in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 3, 2017. Reuters
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters hold up their weapons in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 3, 2017. Reuters

A federal judge in Washington has blocked the government from immediately transferring to another country an American ISIS member who was detained by the US military in Iraq after being captured in Syria by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The Washington Post did not name the man who is of Arab origin. Nor did it say to which country he could have been transferred.

The government has said in court filings that the man was born in the United States but raised in the Middle East. He attended college and studied electrical engineering in Louisiana, is married and has a 3-year-old daughter whom he tried to register as an American citizen on two trips to the US, according to court filings.

But when the civil war in Syria erupted in 2011, he moved there and joined ISIS.

He is being held by the US military in Iraq without charges for seven months.

“Petitioner’s motion for a preliminary injunction is hereby granted,” the US District Judge wrote in a one-paragraph order, enjoining the Defense Department “from transferring petitioner from US custody.”

The Justice Department appealed Friday to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

The hearing is the latest development in a case that has tested whether US citizens captured on a battlefield as suspected ISIS militants have the right to challenge their detentions.



PKK Disarmament to Take a Few Months in Iraq, Türkiye Ruling Party Says

Türkiye's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Turkish Embassy in London, Britain, September, 14, 2017. REUTERS/Will Russell/File photo
Türkiye's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Turkish Embassy in London, Britain, September, 14, 2017. REUTERS/Will Russell/File photo
TT
20

PKK Disarmament to Take a Few Months in Iraq, Türkiye Ruling Party Says

Türkiye's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Turkish Embassy in London, Britain, September, 14, 2017. REUTERS/Will Russell/File photo
Türkiye's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Turkish Embassy in London, Britain, September, 14, 2017. REUTERS/Will Russell/File photo

The handover of weapons by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq, following its decision to disband, should be completed within a few months, a spokeperson for Türkiye's ruling AK Party said late on Wednesday.

Speaking to broadcaster NTV, Omer Celik said a confirmation mechanism, including officials from Turkish intelligence and the armed forces, will oversee the handover process.

"The disarmament ... process (in Iraq) needs to be completed within three to five months... If it exceeds this period, it will become vulnerable to provocations," Celik said on NTV, Reuters reported.

The PKK, which has been locked in a bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided in May to disband and end its armed struggle.

PKK militants are set to begin handing over weapons in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Friday as part of the peace process with Türkiye.

Since the PKK launched its insurgency against Türkiye in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions.