About 12.000 Islamic State terrorists are reportedly in Kurdish prisons in northern Syria. Hundreds of them have already taken advantage of the Turkish invasion to escape. What will happen to the others?
Experts say this is a risk for Europe.
Fighting continues even though Ankara, under pressure from Washington, agreed to a five-day ceasefire.
The Turkish regime is under severe international criticism for its invasion of northern Syria, and not only because of the humanitarian consequences.
Namely, since the beginning of the offensive, there has been concern that arrested fighters of the Islamic State and their families could use the opportunity to escape from Kurdish prisons.
In prisons and camps in the middle of the combat zone, there are about 12.000 captured fighters of the Islamic State, among them 3.000 foreigners.
Some have already seized the moment: according to the Kurdish Autonomous Administration, almost 800 members of jihadist paramilitaries escaped from one camp - this was preceded by Turkish airstrikes in the immediate vicinity of the prison.
Representatives of the US administration are also worried about the possible escape of terrorists in the shadow of the military operation.
In a telephone conversation before the offensive, Donald Trump warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that in the event of an offensive, Turkey would have to take responsibility for the arrested members of the Islamic State.
No strategy in Turkey…
However, Ankara is not aware of its responsibility, believes Murat Demir Sejrek from the European Foundation for Democracy. "If Turkey wanted to prove that it cares about the fight against the Islamic State, then it would be appropriate to present a strategy to the world."
The statements of the Turkish president have been rather cryptic so far. "The fighters of the Islamic State are not only in Raqqa, but also in the north of Syria. We will capture them there. All those who are from abroad will be sent back - no matter what the French and Germans say 'don't send them back to us,'" he said. Erdogan on Tuesday.
The unpredictable situation in Syria will have an impact on Europe because the threat of terrorism is growing, believes Thomas Renard from the Egmont Institute in Brussels. "We have defeated the caliphate of the Islamic State. We have managed to arrest almost half of the fighters of the Islamic State and thus reduced the threat. But now that they can escape, of course the risk of the Islamic State growing stronger again."
...but also in Europe
How should we treat European citizens who are in Syrian and Iraqi prisons and who, after the collapse of the caliphate, return radicalized to their homelands?
Renard believes that some of the arrested now hate the West even more than before. "Some of them are tortured, their children are imprisoned in camps in difficult conditions."
This expert says that it is possible that many used their time in prison to establish even more contacts in the jihadist milieu.
The interlocutor of Deutsche Welle emphasizes that, apart from Turkey, there are reasons to criticize European countries that refuse to accept their citizens from the ranks of the Islamic State and judge them at home.
"It must be ensured that the members of the Islamic State are brought to justice and after serving their sentence they no longer pose a danger. What was not possible in Syria and Iraq, would have to be done in European countries," says Renard.
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