Shamima Begum, now 21, has totally renounced ISIS and should be allowed to return to the UK from the Syrian camp where she is contesting the decision to remove her British citizenship, according to a former US official.
According to an ex-US diplomat who has spoken with Shamima Begum, she is “not a dangerous person” and should be allowed to return to the UK.
On Tuesday, Peter Galbraith told The Telegraph that he had spoken to her in the camp in Syria where she is hoping to return to Britain, and that she has severed all connections with ISIS.
At the age of 15, the former Bethnal Green schoolgirl and two companions snuck out of the country to join the terror organisation in Syria.
Her appeal to return to the UK following the defeat of ISIS in the region has split the country.
Begum, now 21, has promised to leave the organization after being traced down to a camp controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces that houses international former ISIS families.
She is contesting the UK’s decision to deprive her of her citizenship after the government claimed she constituted a national security danger and should not be allowed to return.
Begum has the opportunity to challenge the Home Office’s decision to remove her British citizenship, which has left her stateless and stranded in the camp.
Her bid to re-enter the UK has sparked a heated discussion over how to deal with returning terrorists.
Recent photos show her abandoning her customary Islamic attire in favour of Western attire.
The black burqa she was previously seen wearing has been prohibited in the camp as part of efforts to de-radicalize women and children.
Mr Galbraith stated that she is deserving of repatriation and added, “I’ve talked to Shamima.” She is among the ladies who have categorically rejected the Islamic State.
“I know enough about her to be certain that she is not a dangerous individual.”
“The core stance of the British government is that Shamima is somehow harmful, and I just do not believe that is true,” he said.”
Mr Galbraith made the remarks in response to allegations that he had negotiated the release of a Canadian mother from the camp.
He had previously assisted in the repatriation of a German mother, three German children, and an American orphan who were all detained in Roj camp.
According to accounts, he has been assisting former ISIS families in limbo in the camps by utilising ties he had as a diplomat in the 1980s with Kurdish officials.
It is thought that up to 20 British women and their children are residing at the camp.
Begum became renowned as the “ISIS bride” after moving to the Islamic State to marry a Dutch warrior.
Her three children have all perished, including the newborn she was spotted cradling at the al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria when The Times first tracked her down in 2019.
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