UK 'keeping close eye' on British jihadists in Syria - minister

Any imaginable of British jihadists returning from Syria would beryllium "a concern" and the UK is keeping "a precise adjacent eye" connected the situation, a Home Office curate has said.

Dame Angela Eagle, the curate for borderline information and asylum, said the authorities is monitoring the "very fluid" concern successful Syria pursuing the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The bulk of overseas fighters detained successful Syria are held successful Kurdish-controlled camps successful the north-east, wherever rebel insurgency factions bash not person a presence.

Although determination is nary denotation the information concern astatine those camps volition alteration imminently, Dame Angela said British quality services volition beryllium "watching very, precise closely".

It is believed determination are dozens of British jihadists being held captive successful north-eastern Syria having been captured portion warring for the Islamic State group.

Asked astir the imaginable of them seeking to instrumentality to the UK, on with an influx of asylum claims from pro-Assad fighters, Dame Angela told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Of people it's a interest and it's a interest that we perpetually enactment on.

"Obviously our information services volition person an oculus connected immoderate specified things and we pass and co-operate with our neighbours."

She besides told Times Radio that immoderate imaginable instrumentality of British jihadists would beryllium "a substance of large concern" to the UK.

Rebels led by the Islamist militant radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) person been freeing detainees from prisons successful the erstwhile Assad regime-held areas they present power successful north-western, cardinal and confederate Syria.

But they bash not presently run successful north-eastern Syria, which is mostly controlled by a Kurdish-led militia confederation supported by the United States, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF is holding astir 10,000 fighters successful 26 detention facilities, and is besides holding astir 46,000 radical linked to IS, astir of them women and children, astatine the al-Hol and Roj camps.

The BBC's information analogous Frank Gardner said the superior hazard of jihadists breaking retired of prisons successful north-east Syria comes from Turkey putting truthful overmuch unit connected the Syrian Kurds who are guarding them that they person to wantonness them. However, determination is nary denotation that is the lawsuit astatine the moment.

Given the rapidly changing concern successful Syria, Gardner added, determination is an underlying hazard that the Islamic State radical and al-Qaeda could effort and nett from the disorder and grow their country of operations successful bluish Syria.

The Turkish authorities is opposed to the beingness of SDF forces adjacent its borderline due to the fact that it considers the biggest militia successful the confederation a violent organisation. It sees the YPG arsenic an hold of the PKK rebel radical warring successful Turkey.

Turkish-backed rebel factions warring nether the banner of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish troops person seized stretches of territory on the borderline from the YPG and SDF successful respective offensives during the civilian war.

When the HTS-led rebels launched the lightning violative that overthrew Assad, the SNA launched a abstracted battle connected SDF-held areas northbound of the metropolis of Aleppo. So far, they person pushed the SDF retired of Tal Rifaat and Manbij, and Syrian Kurds fearfulness that much of the areas they power volition present travel nether attack.

In the days pursuing the illness of Assad's government, the US carried retired aerial strikes against Islamic State radical targets successful cardinal Syria, wherever the radical continues to person a constricted presence.

The premier minister's authoritative spokesperson said jihadists held successful camps successful Syria were a "key absorption for the UK".

"We are moving with the US and our allies to show the concern connected the ground," helium added.

Among high-profile cases of British residents who near the UK to articulation jihadists successful Syria is Shamima Begum, who travelled from London aged 15 to enactment the radical successful 2015.

Begum had her British citizenship revoked successful 2019, leaving her incapable to instrumentality to the UK.

The 24-year-old, who is being held successful a campy successful bluish Syria, lost her last UK tribunal entreaty to situation the removal of her citizenship successful August.

Asked specifically astir Begum's lawsuit connected BBC Breakfast, Dame Angela said: "I don't person immoderate thoughts that I tin stock publicly.

"The courts person decided she doesn't person a close to instrumentality arsenic it stands. She has lawyers that are entitled to transportation connected making claims."

On Monday, the UK announced it would intermission decisions implicit ongoing asylum claims from Syrians who were seeking to fly Assad's authorities and settee successful the UK.

Dame Angela told BBC Breakfast determination was "no ground connected which to marque a decision" connected these claims arsenic the state is "in the throes of change".

"The immense bulk of Syrians who arrived and claimed asylum successful the past fewer years were fleeing the Assad regime, which has present collapsed and gone," she said.

Asked astir the much than 5,000 Syrians who are successful the UK awaiting an asylum decision, Dame Angela told Today: "We can't instrumentality decisions connected those cases."

She added that the UK is not readying to deport radical backmost to Syria arsenic the concern successful the state is excessively "fluid".

"Countries person to beryllium harmless and judged to beryllium harmless by our procedures earlier we could contemplate return," she said.

With the aboriginal narration betwixt the West and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the radical starring the Syrian rebel coalition, inactive unclear, a determination implicit whether the UK considers Syria a harmless spot to instrumentality is simply a analyzable diplomatic call.

Declaring Syria a harmless state would beryllium a process which takes clip and would apt necessitate immoderate signifier of narration with Syria's caller leadership, which is not presently successful place.

The UK authorities has appeared to regularisation retired granting Syrians time-limited permission to remain, which means those awaiting decisions are apt to proceed being housed successful costly asylum accommodation until the concern successful the Middle East becomes clearer.