Ex-Irish ISIS member wants to return home

Mohamed Abdel Ghaffar

The issue of ISIS returns is the most complex, especially after the total collapse of the terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq.

Western countries refuse to admit their nationals who fought alongside ISIS in other countries for fear that they would become the nucleus of extremist thinking.

Syria and Iraq, meanwhile, demand other countries to take their nationals who are at their custody back. Iraq then asked these countries to pay it so that it would try these terrorists in its courts.

Some terrorists openly ask their governments to forgive them and allow them to return home. In the last few days, they included Lisa Smith, an Irish national, who conducted an interview with the BBC on July 6.

Smith served within the ranks of the Irish army for ten years. She was responsible for training inside ISIS Syria. She also participated in battles near al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria.

Smith said she travelled to Syria in 2015, before she got married to a member of the terrorist organization and gave birth to a girl who is 2 years now. She added that she did not participate in combat as an ISIS member. She, however, noted that she did not denounce the brutal actions of ISIS. She added that she did not adopt the extremist thoughts of the organization.

“I am not an extremist,” Smith said. “I joined ISIS, but the organization had already collapsed.”

She said she did not kill anybody and that she wants to return home. She vowed not to participate in any terrorist operations once she returns to Ireland.

Smith refused, meanwhile, the punishment of ISIS terrorists.

The Irish Foreign Ministry had not commented on Smith’s request yet. Nonetheless, Irish Prime Minister said in April that he would not mind Smith’s return.

On July 5, the Danish prosecution revealed the arrest of three citizens for buying drones between 2013 and 2017 to send them to ISIS in Syria and Iraq through Turkey.

On June 25, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said his country may try ISIS members in its courts.

He, however, added that this would happen in return for money from the countries to which these terrorists belong.

He said the ex-ISIS members would be used in reconstructing Iraqi areas destroyed by ISIS.