Shamima Begum should be allowed to return to the UK, bombshell review says

A bombshell review of Britain's counter-terrorism policy has concluded that Shamima Begum should be allowed back into the UK. The British woman is currently in a Syrian detention camp, after fleeing home to join Islamic State in 2015, when she was just 15.

The decision was reached after a three year review carried out by the Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism. The panel said that Begum and other Britons held in Syria should be returned to the UK. They said the camps risked damaging the UK's reputation and could be seen as "Britain's Guantanamo".

Guantanamo Bay was used to hold al-Qaeda suspects indefinitely and without trial in the years following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. As of 11 January 2024, thirty male suspects were still being detained at the detention centre.

The report said that allowing UK-linked people to remain in such facilities in Syria was "inconsistent" with human rights obligations.

"The government should facilitate the voluntary repatriation for British nationals, including those deprived of British nationality," it said.

"It should appoint a special envoy to oversee repatriation and inform returnees of the likelihood of prosecution.

"As escapes from camps are likely to lead to some returns to the UK, an organised programme of return, rehabilitation and integration is the best long-term option for managing risk."

The commission's panel included former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Richard Barrett, the former global counter-terrorism director of MI6, and ex-Greater Manchester Police chief Sir Peter Fahy.

It is believed that up to 70 Brits are currently being held in the Syrian camps, a majority of whom are women with children.

The UK government revoked Begum's citizenship in 2019, who has since been trying to get it back and return home to Britain.

The decision to strip her of British citizenship was originally criticised by Sir Keir Starmer, who later changed his mind due to concerns of "national security".

The 26-year-old was last seen storming out of an interview with the Daily Express's Richard Ashmore in September.