[Rudaw] Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured eight foreign ISIS fighters in Hajin, days after announcing the detention of five others. The eight include citizens of the United States, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, and central Asia. The American is a minor.
They were plotting an attack against civilians and were seized during an operation on Sunday and Monday, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced in a statement on Wednesday.
They are identified as Soulay Noah Su (aka Abu Souleiman al-Amriki), a 16-year-old American; Lucas Glass (aka Abu Ibrahim al-Almani), a 31-year-old German; Bimuraev Begjan (aka Abu Sara), a 30-year-old Russian; Askar Zarmanbetov (aka Abu Dawoud Nougha), a 27-year-old Ukrainian; Sattibek Oshibaev (aka Abu Rouqaya), a 30-year-old citizen of Kazakhstan; Mohammad Dawlat (aka Abu Mohsab Tajiki), a 22-year-old citizen of Tajikistan; and two nationals of Uzbekistan: Adil Rahimov (aka Abu Amina Uzbeki), 58, and Farhad Qaderov (aka Bilal Uzbeki), 28.
The SDF are currently an estimated more than 1,000 imported muscle from over 30 different countries. Their fate is uncertain. Western nations are reluctant to repatriate their citizens, because of the potential security risk and problems gathering evidence to prosecute them of crimes.
The Kurdish administration in northern Syria has refused to prosecute the foreigners, as they are doing with local jihadists. They have also warned they will not be able to continue to hold their prisoners if
Kazakhstan took back five of their nationals who had fought for ISIS, as well as 11 women and 30 children over the weekend.
The SDF are battling ISIS in the Hajin area of the Euphrates River valley. This is the last significant pocket of territory held by the group that once controlled large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq.