A Belgian woman believed to be a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) has reportedly found her way back to the terrorist group after escaping from a detention facility in Syria.
The woman is part of a group of at least three Belgians who are said to have escaped from the Ain Issa camp located in northeastern Syria together with hundreds of other prisoners with links to IS.
Amine Elbahi, a Frenchman who has relatives who left for Syria said he has received text messages which confirm "at 200%" that at least three French and a Belgian woman have returned to the ranks of the terror group.
"We will keep you safe in the desert. You are part of the Islamic State and you will stay here," the terror group said to escaped members, according to reports of messages received by Elbahi on 7sur7.
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Elbahi is an active advocate for the repatriation and domestic trial of French jihadist fighters and is fighting to bring back his niece and nephew, thought to be in Syria's Al-Hol refugee camp.
While there is no official confirmation of the identities of the Belgian escapees, reports on HLN suggest that the individual who returned to the terror group could be 24-year-old Fatima B.
News of the prison break came just a week after Turkey launched an incursion in the area, after the detention centre where IS membres were being held was hit by an airstrike.
On Thursday, a UK-based human-rights observer in Syria said that Turkey's military operation against Kurdish forces had already resulted in the displacement of 300,000 people from the area.
In a radio interview on Monday, federal public prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw expressed concern over the events in Syria, citing possible “uncontrolled returns” and insisting that the Belgian state should take responsibility for Belgian nationals the region.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
